While Ace and Marianne were walking in the hallway, Derek suddenly appeared out of nowhere and interrupted, "Yoma has a crush on Ace!" Ace glared at Derek and snapped, "Shut up." Suddenly, Yoma called out to Ace, "Ace!" Ace and the others turned to look at her as she approached Ace. Derek chuckled softly and teased Ace. "I brought you some snacks!" Yoma smiled at Ace, offering him a lunchbox. Ace ignored Yoma and turned to Marianne, asking, "Are you hungry?" Marianne looked at Ace and replied, "Um, a little." Ace then glanced at Yoma and asked, "Is that for me?" Yoma nodded and exclaimed, "Yes! I made this with love!" Ace took the lunchbox from Yoma and said, "I appreciate this." Yoma blushed and smiled at him. However, her world came crashing down when she saw Ace give the lunchbox to Marianne instead. "You're hungry, right?" Ace asked Marianne. Marianne noticed Yoma glaring at her, so she decided not to accept the lunchbox. "Oh no! I think I want to eat in our palace!" she said. Ace shrugged and tossed the lunchbox out of the window. "Okay," he said as he walked away. Yoma grew angry at the sight and clenched her fists, shaking with anger as she continued to glare at Marianne. Derek quickly pulled Marianne away from Yoma and walked her to the gates where Ace was waiting for her. Yoma stood there, staring at them with teary eyes. As Marianne got inside her vehicle, Derek and Ace helped her out.
Five months passed, and Yoma's anger towards Marianne grew heavier. She would constantly bully her and do mean things when Ace wasn't around. Ace was aware of what Yoma was doing to Marianne, but he chose to let it happen because he believed it was the only way for Marianne to become stronger, and he didn't want to spoil her all the time. Derek would often rush to Ace to inform him about Marianne being bullied, but Ace would simply shrug it off. As a result, Derek took it upon himself to calm Marianne down, provide her with comfort, and stand up for her. However, Derek was not strong enough to effectively fight for Marianne's cause. When Marianne arrived home, she immediately rushed to her room and called her father, Asherton, to share everything that had happened. Among the advice Asherton gave her, one stood out the most: "Be patient. They may have power now, but there will come a time when you will surpass them and rise above. Stay patient and humble."
One day, during class, the teacher made a sudden announcement, "I'm sure all of you are excited. As you may already know, next week will be our Royal Sports. So, who wants to be one of the participants?" Ace and Derek both decided to participate in horse riding or racing and sword fight for the Royal Sports (or intramural), the teacher then agreed to their choice. Suddenly, Marianne raised her hand and interrupted, saying, "Excuse me, I also want to participate in horse riding and sword fighting!" The class burst into laughter upon hearing her request, except for Ace, who calmly stared at Marianne. Yoma joined in the laughter, taunting her, "Haha! Princesses aren't allowed to do that!" "Then what should I do? Just watch the princes enjoy their lives riding horses?" Marianne retorted. "Can you even ride a horse?" Derek asked, which only made everyone laugh even harder. The teacher looked at Marianne, chuckling slightly, and said, "How desperate of you, Marianne." Marianne pleaded, "Please, let me participate!" The teacher shook her head and replied, "No, you are not allowed to do that. You're a princess!" The entire class looked down at Marianne and laughed even harder. However, the class fell silent when Ace raised his arm and interrupted, saying, "Let her join, Ms." "No, she is not allowed to do so!" the teacher responded, raising her voice at Ace. "I promise, if something happens to her, I will take the responsibility," Ace replied earnestly. "Hawthorne, I know you are the principal's son, but it is against the rules," the teacher said, emphasizing the importance of the rule.
"Then I'll find another teacher instead," Ace responded firmly. The teacher gasped upon hearing his words and pondered for a while. She realized that Ace had the power to influence her position as the principal's son. Fearing the consequences of losing her job, she reluctantly made the decision to let Marianne join the activities. "Okay, I'll let her join," the teacher said, hesitatingly. "Then it's settled," Ace responded coldly. Yoma rolled her eyes at Ace for standing up for Marianne. Marianne looked at Ace with confusion, while Ace looked back at her with determination. When the class was over, Marianne approached Ace and said, "Ace, thank you." Ace looked at her and simply nodded. Meanwhile, Derek interrupted, "Wait, Ace, you're the principal's son?!" Ace turned to Derek and nodded, replying, "Yeah, I am." It was true, Alexander, Ace's father, held the position of principal at the school. Derek beamed at Ace and exclaimed, "Woah~! That's cool!" Ace simply shrugged and made his way out without saying a word.
The next morning, on Saturday, it was Marianne's turn to visit Ace. As she entered Ace's room, she noticed that he was busy preparing something. "Ace, what are you doing?" she asked curiously. Ace looked at her and replied, "Oh, this? I'm getting ready to train. There's only one day left to practice before the opening of the Royal Sports on Monday." He continued to organize the things he needed for his training. "C-Can I train with you...?!" Marianne asked, her voice filled with excitement. Ace scoffed at her and responded, "Alright, if you can handle it." Determined, Marianne replied, "I can take it, I promise!" Ace shrugged and tossed the training materials to her, saying, "Come with me." They both embarked on their training session together.