In the midst of the tense situation, a handsome boy named Nathan abruptly intervened, calling out to the others. "Hey, brats! You are suffocating her!!" he exclaimed, swiftly pulling Marianne away from Ace. Sensing the urgency, Ace tightly held onto Marianne's hand, refusing to let go as Nathan tried to separate them. Derek, witnessing the commotion, raised his voice, shouting, "Hey! Stop that!". Just as Marianne was about to shout amidst the escalating tension, the sound of the bell rang throughout the canteen, signaling the end of the break. It was time for everyone to return to their respective rooms. Ace, Derek, and Nathan, all following Marianne, accompanied her to her room. Once Marianne entered her room, Nathan bid his farewell and made his way to his own room. It was revealed that Nathan was two years older than Ace and held the position of campus president. Meanwhile, Ace and Derek proceeded to their shared room, as they were roommates.
After a few hours, the bell rang, indicating that the entrance exam had concluded. Ace, filled with anticipation, headed towards Marianne's room, with Derek following closely behind. Upon reaching Marianne's room, they found Nathan already waiting for her. "Hi," Nathan greeted. Derek, taken aback by Nathan's presence, couldn't help but shout, "Hey! What are you doing here?!" Nathan calmly replied, "Just waiting for my future wife." Ace, feeling a sense of disappointment, could only stare at Nathan in disbelief. As Marianne finally emerged from her room, she swiftly made her way towards Ace and reached out to touch his shirt. Without hesitation, Ace responded by placing his arms around Marianne's shoulders. "Ace...?!" Marianne exclaimed, surprised by his sudden action. Ace quickly acted as if he were in pain, saying, "Ah~! I think I have a headache!" Marianne, thought that it was true, accepted his excuse and guided him with care.
Nathan and Derek stood frozen in their places, their eyes locked on Ace and Marianne as they walked away. In frustration, Derek punched himself, exclaiming, "Ah~!! Marianne!! Nathan punched me!" Nathan, startled by Derek's outburst, responded, "Hey...!" But then he quickly realized the situation and punched himself as well, desperately calling out, "Marianne, help me! He punched me!" Despite their pleas for attention, Marianne chose to ignore them and remained focused on guiding Ace. As Ace and Marianne exited the room, Ace abruptly withdrew his arms from Marianne's shoulder, his demeanor turning cold. "I'm okay now," he stated curtly. Confused by his sudden change, Marianne questioned, "Huh?" Nevertheless, she followed after him, determined to understand. "Huh? But you said you had a headache," she inquired. Ace quickly offered an excuse, saying, "No, I guess the wind blew it away." As they reached the gate, their respective royal transportation was already waiting for them. Marianne bid farewell to Ace with a wave before boarding her own royal vehicle. However, Ace chose to ignore the gesture and entered his own royal vehicle without acknowledging her goodbye.
It seems that Ace sees Marianne more like a younger sister and is not in love with her romantically. His protective nature towards her stems from his desire to shield her from negative influences and individuals. Ace also has personal reasons for not wanting to fall in love, which contributes to his reluctance to pursue a romantic relationship. His actions and motivations are driven by a deep sense of care and concern for Marianne's well-being, rather than romantic feelings. When Ace was 6 years old, he was always being beaten by his father and mother. At that age, his mother taught him to play the piano, and if he made a mistake, she would beat him. On the other hand, his father made him learn martial arts and swordsmanship, and if he failed, his father would also beat him up. In addition to teaching him martial arts and swordsmanship, Ace's father also made him read all the books in the library and taught him how to read, write, do math, and study physics. On the other hand, his mother taught him how to dance like a prince and other masculine activities. Unfortunately, the same treatment applied if he failed in any of these endeavors, resulting in him being beaten.
Initially, Ace cried a lot when he was beaten. However, as he turned 8 years old, he became accustomed to the beatings and learned to bear them. He no longer cried, and his once soft side grew cold. Whenever he was beaten, he would retreat to his room and lock himself in, staring out of the window. When Ace turned 9, his mother passed away due to illness. Unfortunately, his father did not provide her with a proper funeral and instead chose to cremate her. Surprisingly, Ace did not shed a tear when his mother died. He simply stood there, silently staring at the burning body of his mother. Currently, Ace's father continues to subject him to physical abuse. However, the steward who is close to Ace always helps conceal his bruises and injuries by applying a powder to the affected areas. Despite the ongoing abuse, when Ace formed a close bond with Marianne, his deep care for her enabled Ace to maintain a strong connection to her despite the distance between them. Ace sees Marianne as a younger sister, even though he is aware that they are destined to be married in the future. However, Ace is not enthusiastic about the prospect of marriage and has contemplated canceling the arrangement, especially if he were to inherit the throne upon his father's passing.
Ace possesses a unique power that allows him to perceive Marianne's surroundings even when he is physically distant from her. However, this ability is limited to visual perception and communication through telepathy. He cannot feel or hear anything in Marianne's vicinity, only being able to see and communicate with her through their shared mental connection. Ace recently had a glimpse of Asherton from Marianne's perspective, but he was unable to understand the content of their conversation. In essence, Ace acts as Marianne's secret guardian angel, watching over her and protecting her from afar without her knowledge.