The air turned awkward so fast, you could practically hear it crackle. No one said a word.


    ra sneaked a look at Dn. His lips were pressed tight, but he didn''t look mad. Actually, he almost seemed... quietly amused.


    She let out a sigh and turned to Vivian. "Anything else you wanna ask?"


    Vivian hesitated for a long beat before finally blurting, "So why didn''t you want to? Did you already have someone you liked?"


    ra and Dn never really talked about Z. It was this unspoken thing between them-a sore spot neither wanted to poke. But now, with someone else bringing it up, maybe it was time to clear the air.


    "Yeah," ra said. "I did. Actually, I liked two people at the same time. I couldn''t choose."


    Vivian almost spit out her water. She gawked at ra, who looked like she was talking about the weather, then at Dn, who seemed totally unfazed.


    She wiped her mouth, sure she''d misheard. "Wait, what? You were into two guys at once?"


    ra shrugged. "I mean, yeah. I liked them both. Didn''t know what to do about it."


    Vivian shook her head in disbelief. "How could you? Dn''s amazing, and you still liked someone else? You''re impossible."


    She grumbled, but her curiosity was clearly getting the better of her. "Aren''t you worried you two are gonna fight about this when you go home?"


    ra nodded. "We do fight. Especially about this. I know I''m in the wrong, so half the time I don''t even know what to say."


    Vivian grabbed a stick and started poking at the campfire, just for something to do. She was dying from secondhand embarrassment.


    How was ra so chill about admitting all this, with Dn right there? Weren''t people from Z supposed to be more traditional? This was way more open than she expected. Even abroad, people would at least try to hide something like that. No wonder she was still single-clearly, she didn''t have enough nerve.


    Vivian took a deep breath, cheeks burning. "ra, are you going to North America after this? Teach me your ways! I''ve got a crush too-Norman from the Chester family. You know him?"


    ra opened her eyes and gave Vivian a slow once-over, then sighed. "Don''t bother. He''s not into your type."


    Vivian''s face turned bright red. She balled her fists. "Okay, maybe I was a little harsh earlier, but you don''t even know Norman. How can you be so sure? Maybe he-"


    "Norman Chester''s a famous yer. Everyone knows it. He''s not looking for someone like you."


    ra finished speaking and immediately felt Dn''s eyes on her.


    "You met him?" he asked.


    "Just once. I asked him to give his sister a message-tell Loue to give up, because she''s not going to win against me."


    Dn''s tight jaw finally rxed, and he just grunted in response.


    Vivian watched the whole thing, totally hyped.


    So this is how you handle men, huh? Impressive.


    She looked at ra with shining eyes. If she''d been skeptical before, now she was dying to get tips.


    "ra, then tell me what kind of girl does Norman even like?" "Strong ones."


    "What does that mean?"


    ra sat up, thinking of Norman''s look, and turned to Vivian. "Doesn''t matter if you''re not pretty, not pure, not morous. Norman''s seen every kind of woman— looks just don''t do it for him anymore. He likes women who are strong, maybe even tougher than he is. The sort who could beat him in a fight. With a guy like that, ordinary tricks won''t work."


    Vivian looked down, forcing a little smile. "You really know your stuff. I heard Norman''s been looking for some mystery woman-supposedly she fought off like a dozen guys at once and still came out on top. I can''t even picture a woman like that. Honestly, I think he made her up just because he doesn''t want to settle down. Did you know? Lately, a ton of women havee here with bodyguards because they heard this ce can make you stronger. If you survive fifteen days, Norman might finally notice you."


    ra had just been talking casually, but she hadn''t expected to nail Vivian''s reason foring here.


    Seriously, who knew Norman the yboy was such a hotmodity?


    But after Vivian finished, Dn kept staring at ra.


    She touched her cheek, confused. "Do I have something on my face?"


    He looked away and stared into the fire, silent.


    ra frowned. What was up with him? He''d seemed fine a minute ago. Why was he suddenly upset?<fn344d> Updates are released by FindN()vel</fn344d>