_______'s POV

"Be a good boy, Nathan. Your mom and dad deserves this vacation."
"We can't thank you enough, Princess. This is really too much."
"It's no issue, Mr. Kim. I can't thank you enough for being patient with me for the past months."
"Just promise me that you and your wife would enjoy the weekend. That's enough reward for me."
"Thank you, Princess. We will."

I dropped off my bodyguard and his family at the port for their weekend cruise. I hugged Nathan goodbye before handing him over to his parents. It's their fifth wedding anniversary and they never really celebrated it because they're always busy. After hearing much of Mr. Kim's stories, I could really see how much he loves his family. It hasn't been long since he was my bodyguard. He was restationed to me, replacing Mark after he left and I was being unfair to him. After getting to know him, he's really a great family guy. Nathan is his two year old son which I often ask him to bring over so I have someone to play with. His wife also works at the palace as one of the cooks and they have been working for us for quite some time. Their whole love story actually developed in the palace which was a sweet story to hear. I waved goodbye as they boarded the cruise ship and Nathan was waving back as well. Once they were all set inside the ship, I got back inside my car and continued to head to Chang Ho. In a matter of an hour, I was already at the palace. The prince was sitting at the steps as my car pulled over. Once I got out, he immediately attacked me with a hug.

"It's only been a few days." I laughed.
"It felt like a decade." He whined. Now, he's just acting like a child.
"There there, my little prince, I'm here now." I chuckled and pat his back.

Chang Ho's Palace

 

We entered his home and my things were brought inside.
"I'll show you to your room later." He smiled. "For now, I have a whole afternoon planned for you." He told me.
"What do you have in mind?" I asked him.
"Well, let's cross something out of our bucketlist." He smiled.
"You took note of it?" I asked, touched that he brought it up again.
"Come on, I'll show you." He smiled. He took my hand and brought me up to his study. There, written on his board, was our bucketlist. He titled it: The Prince and Princess' Top 10 Things to Do Before We Get Married.
"Before we get married?" I asked.
"Well, yeah. Because once you become my wife, I want to start a whole new bucketlist that would go on for a lifetime." He shyly said. I turned around and gave him a hug.
"We had our top fifteen but I sorted some of those into our 'married bucketlist' so I got ten. I could never stop replaying your words in my mind because I really want to do them with you." He said.
"Let's get started with some of them then." I told him. He smiled and planted a soft kiss on my lips before we started reviewing our top 10, in no particular order.

1. Have a grand pillow/slumber party. Just us two.
2. Have a seafood dinner at the beach.
3. Have a cozy bonfire at the beach with snacks.
4. Watch the stars outside for a whole night.
5. Run around town in matching onesies.
6. Hand out free balloons to people.
7. Make a wish with a lantern.
8. Curl up like a burrito and watch a movie together.
9. Have a proposal worth remembering.
10. Get married.

"Let's start on our list and say hi to some people in town. Up for it?" He asked me.
"Huh?" I looked at him. He chuckled and got a box from under his desk. He handed it over to me and I opened it. Onesies. (CLICK!)
"Are you serious?" I asked, trying to hide the huge smile I want to put on.
"Our list did say run around in matching onesies. I wouldn't want to miss out any detail." He smiled.

With that, we both got changed into our matching outfits for the afternoon. It's so soft and fluffy! I immediately hugged Mark, feeling his fluffiness, before we headed out to start our fun-filled day. Once we got outside, I was greeted with body guards holding a bunch of balloons. This is over the top! Mark and I spent the whole afternoon, going around town as unicorns handing out balloons to kids, teens, adults, and oldies. Some people took pictures with us and all of them were happy to receive a different kind of 'hello' from the prince. We gave out around a hundred balloons to each one and once we were done with that, two things from our bucketlist were crossed out. We returned to the palace, feeling happy and fulfilled. The King and Queen greeted us with laughs, seeing us in our outfits. We decided to eat dinner like this since it sets the mood. Mr. Lee was happy to see me looking weird with Mark so that made his day interesting. Of course, we didn't leave them out with the balloon-giving. Once dinner was done, we said goodnight to the three parents and Mark escorted me upstairs. He held my hand as we walked up but I could feel him shaking.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. He looked at me and smiled.
"It's just that... It's my first time bringing a girl into my room." He chuckled.
"I kind of feel shy that you'll see where I sleep." He said.
"The other rooms are being cleaned since we'll be having guests and I wouldn't want to make you sleep alone. But I promise no hanky panky." He blushed.
"You're so adorable." I laughed. "Thank you, Mark." I said and he smiled.

Mark's Room (without the pillows)

"I had it fixed while we were out. So we can have that slumber party you mentioned the other day." He opened the door to his room and the ground around his bed was covered with pillows.
"You're making my heart fat. You know that?" I told him.
"As long as it's fat with love, my princess." He said and kissed me on the head.
"Your things are set over there." He pointed. "Let's get washed up and get this pillow party started. I'll let you use my bathroom. I'll use the spare one down the hall." He said.
"Mark?" I called out.
"Yeah?" He looked at me. I gave him a soft kiss on the lips and he smilled.
"You're the best." I said.
"Anything for my princess." He said and planted another kiss on my lips.

Mark's POV

I got my 'pajamas' and waited for _______ to get in the bathroom before I headed out to take a bath. The boys said they just finished with dinner and are staying at Jaebum's assigned room. I headed over there and met up with the guys.
"How was part one?" Jaebum asked.
"The onesies and balloons were a success. Plus, she loves the bedroom setup. Thanks, guys." I said.
"We could have made it more romantic to set up the mood but then we can't speed up round two tonight. Unless both you guys are so..."
"Jackson!"
"Ow! I was just kidding!" Jackson said and hit Jinyoung back who just laughed.
"Keep your promise, Mark." Jaebum told me, shaking his head at Jackson.
"So, tomorrow's the day." Jinyoung smiled.
"Yeah and it's going to start with her hating me." I laughed.
"That's what we're here for. Just make the perfect alibi and she'll let you off." Jackson said.
"Just leave the whole day tomorrow to us. We got everything ordered. You just have to shop for the final piece." Jaebum said.
"That... That's what's particularly making me nervous." I told them.
"Royals have perks. We called the shop. The store owner will help you early in the morning to pick it out. He's doing inventory anyway so be there at seven." Jaebum smiled.
"You guys really have everything thought of, huh?"
"You thought of it. We just executed." Jackson said.

"Where's _______, by the way?" Jinyoung asked.
"She's taking a bath. I have to go back soon. Is it okay if I use your bathroom? I kind of told her I'll take a shower somewhere else." I said.
"Go ahead. Just make sure you keep everything in the shower and keep quiet." Jaebum said and the boys laughed.
"My palace. I'll do whatever I want." I said, entering the bathroom.
"Dirty boy."

I didn't let out any in the bath. Just so you guys know. Once I was done, I gave final instructions to the boys before heading back to my room. I arrived there, seeing _______ hiding underneath a huge pile of pillows. My girlfriend is too adorable.
"Hello." I peeked at her and she smiled at me.
"What you doing there?" I asked.
"Keeping warm." She smiled. So cute.
"Is it too cold? I can turn down the AC if you want." I asked and she shook her head.
"Come out. I'll keep you warm." I lifted off the pillows and pulled her out of the fortress and into my arms.
"I like this better." She said against my chest.
"Me too." I said.

"So, I was thinking. For a movie. Maybe something suitable for a blanket burrito date." I told her.
"What do you have in mind?" I asked.
"I remember this movie where you suddenly cried which made me panic. I'm curious why."
"Ohh. Leap Year?" She asked with a smile.
"Yeah. I think it's that one? I downloaded it the other night. I had to describe it to my friends so I'd get the title." I laughed.
"You could have asked me..." She pouted.
"It's going to be too obvious." I laughed. "So, up for it?" I asked and she immediately noddded.

I plugged in the movie on my TV as we bunched together pillows we could carry to the bed and wrapped ourselves into burritos. The movie started and she was already holding onto me with excitement. I guess this is one of her favorite movies. Snacks arrived and she called dibs on the candies. The movie went on and I finally realized why she was crying. She cried again with me joining her this time. Now I also know why she would want a proposal worth remembering. That guy is hard to top though. I need all the time I could get to make it special for her. We started on the next movie she suggested which was 'The Internship'. It's a light comedy movie that is just perfect after all the emotions from the previous movie. By the middle of the movie, she already fell asleep. I stopped the movie and carried her to the bed before joining her. I pulled her close and fell asleep in no time.

The next morning, I woke up extra early. Today's the day. I looked over at her and she was still encased in my embrace, back facing me. I slowly lifted myself out of the bed, careful not to wake her up. I tucked her gently under the blankets, planting a soft kiss on her head. I'm sorry, my princess. I took my clothes that were all ready for today's activity and went out to Jackson's room. If she hears me in the shower, she will wake up. I knocked a few times and he greeted, still half-asleep.

"I need to take a bath." I told him. He groaned and let me in before crashing back into bed. Once I was all washed up, I woke him up to wake up the other boys so that they may get ready for today. I went down to the kitchen to cook up my apology breakfast for my girlfriend. I need to come up with an explanation. I'm not a great cook so I just hope that she would like it. I made crumbled hashbrowns, scrambled sunny-side up eggs, and crispy bacon. I poured in orange juice and set everything on a tray. I grabbed a quick bite of pastry as well.  I went out the kitchen to be greeted by my parents.

"You cooked breakfast?" My father asked with a laugh.
"Yeah. For _______. I'm leaving early but I haven't come up with an excuse with leaving her all alone. Again." I sighed.
"Maybe an urgent meeting at the base would do." Mom suggested.
"Why haven't I thought of that..." I set the tray down the dining hall table and took out the card and my pen. I wrote a quick note and set it with others.
"If she asks, tell her that." I told my parents and they laughed.

I went up to my room and was greeted by Jackson who was the first to get ready.
"You left your bouquet in my room." He said and handed me a boquet of pink roses.
"Thanks!" He helped me open the door to my room and I sneaked in, putting my apology set-up at the foot of the bed. I looked over at her and she was still peacefully sleeping. I placed a pillow beside her so she wouldn't feel the emptiness beside her. I gave her one final kiss on her head before heading out.
"It's almost seven." Jackson said.
"Yeah. I know. I'm going now." I told him as we both went down the stairs.
"I'll just grab breakfast and go to my station. Good luck!" He waved as he went to the dining hall. I bid my parents goodbye and hugged all three for good luck. I had my car ready and drove off into town. I arrived at the best jewelry store and my mission starts.

_______'s POV

The sunbeam hitting my face felt good. To top it off, I could smell something good. Mornings like this deserve an award. I stretched in my spot, feeling the soft covers of the bed, feeling nothing beside me. Not again. I sighed and slowly opened my eyes, looking beside me. Mark's gone. I felt that disappointment and sadness that I experienced the last time this happened. I sat up, feeling heavy that he wasn't there beside me. I looked around, no trace. Mark. Though I still smell something good. I followed the scent and saw breakfast prepared at the foot of the bed with a bouquet beside it. I crawled towards it and saw a card propped up on the tray. I took it and sat back down to read it.

'I know you might be mad waking up alone. This is to partly make up for it :( something came up at the base. I had to go early :( I didn't mean to leave you :( I will be back later within the day. For now, enjoy breakfast my princess! I cooked it myself :) don't mind the burnt ones. I'm sorry for that! I'll see you later! Enjoy the day! I heard it would be nice to take a walk around palace grounds today :) I love you, my princess <3

- Your Prince'

"Ohh." I guess it's not logical to be mad at him. He didn't mean to anyway. This is something important that he has to attend to. I just hope it's nothing serious and he would be back safe. I looked at the breakfast and I recognize off the bat that Mark was the one who made it. The hashbrowns were crumbled, the sunny side eggs were half scrambled, and the bacon was too crispy. I like breakfast this way. Despite it looking like a total disaster, it's really not half bad. Downside of being with Mark, he doesn't handle well in the kitchen but I wouldn't mind; food is food. I finished my breakfast and decided to go with what he offered: take a walk around palace grounds. I took a quick bath and changed into something comfortable before heading out