"Stupid Blood" the outsider mumbled, sitting in the bedroom she had asked Vivaldi to borrow while she stayed there. "Stupid… Blood" she looked to the bruises on her shoulders. She was certain he had loved her, but she had never been so wrong. It wasn't until now that she had realized all she was to him was a status symbol. He didn't even want to finish the wedding he had prepared.

He just wanted to show everyone else that he 'earned' her. Nothing else. When he had heard that she had gone camping with Ace, he was furious, and she had earned the bruises on her shoulders through that. It wasn't until she had drugged his tea with sleeping pills that she had fled to the castle and begged Vivaldi to let her stay.

She had cried by herself, and her eyes had been red and puffy. The bruises were dark and hard to look at, but at the same time she couldn't look away from them. What was she doing…?

It wasn't until the door flew open that her head snapped up, and she pulled her sleeves up. The red knight looked inside and was smiling up until he saw Alice, his face turning into one of surprise. "Oh! Alice! What are you doing in my room?" he questioned, laughing gently.

"N-Nothing… This isn't your room, Ace" she replied, trying to keep her voice from quivering, but her eyes ultimately gave it away. "Are you alright?" he asked, closing the door behind her as he took a seat next to her on the bed.

"I-I'm fine… I—" Ace grabbed her chin, and lifted it, as if he were inspecting it, as Alice jolted, memories of the incident before coming back. "B-Blood— Don't…" she pleaded in a voice that made the knight freeze. He examined her thoroughly, before pulling her sleeves down. "What happened, Alice?" he asked in a cheerful tone, his eyes giving off a more violent expression.

"I— Blood— He…" fresh tears started anew, and Ace understood immediately. The next thing Alice knew, she felt something warm over the dark purple splotches, as Ace kissed them gently. pulling the sleeve down even more as he trailed his kisses up where the bruise was. Alice gasped, and blushed at his actions. "Ace… Don't…"

"He didn't love you… Right?" he asked, kissing up her neck to her jaw bone, sending shivers down her spine. "Not like this… Right? Not like a man who truly loves a woman, right?" the same goofy grin. Seconds later, she felt his hand pulling the zipper of her dress down.

"S-Stop!" she exclaimed, trying to stop his hand. "Alice…" he whispered in her ear, causing her to freeze in place. "Let me show you Alice…" he murmured, biting her ear, causing her to wince. "Let me show you what it's like to be loved…"

With that, he took her chin in a gentle manner and tipped it upwards, his eyes narrowed seductively as he looked into her more pitiful ones, kissing the tears away before taking her mouth with his. There was a brief moment of no sort of interaction, before she cautiously wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the kiss gently.

That was all Ace needed before he lowered her to the bed, hovering over her as he kissed her roughly, and much to his surprise, she matched that same vigor, small moans emanating from her throat.

As Ace pulled her dress down further, he moved down from her mouth to her neck and collarbone. "A-Ace…" she murmured quietly, his hands trailing down her sides, causing more pleasurable noises to come from her mouth, her face beet red as they trailed to her inner thighs and stopped, just near the apex of her legs.

"A-Ace, stop—" he looked back up at her. "I-I can't… This isn't right… I—" Ace sighed

"Tell me, Alice…" he questioned, leaning closer towards her, his breath hot against her neck. "Did he ever love you like this? Kiss you like this? Express his passion for you like this? Was he ever this… intimate with you~?" his voice was sincere, but there was something about it that had murderous undertones

"Answer me" he growled in her ear, causing her to shudder as he licked her ear gently. "N-No… No he never did— He wouldn't come near me… He— He—" Ace silenced her with a gentle kiss. Alice shivered as his hands pulled her dress down lower. "Alice… I will love you. I will kiss you. I will express my passion for you in this such way" he grinned once he had pulled away from her, brushing her hair out of her sky blue eyes gently, staring directly down at her.

"I will show you what it means to be… intimate~"