ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ-sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ-ᴛʜɪʀᴅ.

She stood in front of an abstract painting. It's been a few months since he approved of building a museum for her. He held her close and wrapped his arms around her and she just smiled softly. The museum is now full of abstract paintings he bought from other countries just for her. She turned to look at him and he gave her a quick peck on her lips.

"Thank you, love. I really don't know what to do without you." She whispered and he nuzzled his palm against her cheeks. Aside from the museum, he was also the one who helped her to build the small libraries.

"Those were nothing compared to what you did for me. You accepted me in your life and it is more than enough." He said gently and since they were the only ones in the area, he kissed her senselessly until he felt enough with it. She blushed furiously and buried her face on his chest while trying to hide her shyness.

"Hasegawa Fuyu, would you like to build your future with me?" The Ninth Princess looked at the Third Prince the moment they walked out of the museum. They were holding hands and he gently squeezed her hand.

"Sho, I would like to do it with you but I also want us to take everything slow. You understand me, right? I mean, I'm not rejecting your proposal but at the same time, I'm also not accepting it. We are still young and I want to make sure that you're the last man I will love in my life." She was nervous when she said those to him but his smile assured her that everything was alright.

"I understand you, Angel. Right now, all I want to do is to build my future with you. I know we are still young. I know that we still have a long way to go. I know all of those but I also want to secure everything with you, especially you. I can't bear to lose you anymore. You know, that feeling, that feeling that I'm afraid to lose you. I don't know if I'm just being paranoid but I want to be possessive of you but I also think that it is unhealthy for our relationship. All I can see is you. All I want is you. All I need is you. That's what I really feel right now, that's why I asked you that question." She smiled softly and reached for his cheek. She gently caressed it and left a kiss on his lips.

"I love you, Sho." Those simple words were enough for him to feel assured that their relationship is stable. He held both of her hands and left kisses on the back of it. She chuckled softly while watching him.

Few more months had passed and it was their last year in Royal High already. Many things happened such as the transferee student, Ishikawa Ayami, leaving the campus to go to another country. She stopped bothering the royalty circle but until now, only few know why she did those things to the three princesses. Ever since the Second Prince started pursuing the Fifth Princess, everyone assumed that they were already together. Once they officially announce that they are in a relationship, they will be the last couple to enter the Top 3 Most Influential Couples.

"What? He went there to ask your grandfather and father if he could take you out for a date?" The Ninth Princess gave her a surprised expression. The Fifth Princess was enjoying the box of cream puffs she received from the Second Prince. She nodded while blushing faintly.

"Well, that's what a true prince will do. Right?" The younger one grinned at her and she almost choked with the food. The Ninth Princess handed her mug of iced coffee and the Sixth Princess finally arrived at their office.

"Is that from Riku? I saw him carrying that box earlier." The Sixth Princess said and both princesses nodded. They heard a knock and since the door is still open, they immediately saw who their guest was. It was the Third Prince.

"We will head out early. We still need to go to another city to check on the newly-built libraries and don't forget the campus photoshoot this Saturday." He reminded them about their schedule that weekend while the Ninth Princess brought her things back in her bag.

"You will drive?" The younger one asked softly when she approached him and he shook his head. He still got some things to prepare, so he called his driver. He took her bag and then, they waved goodbye before leaving and closing the door.

"Don't you have a date with Kazuma?" The Fifth Princess asked and the Sixth Princess shook her head. They just had their dinner date last night and the First Prince informed her that he will be handling important business matters that day.

"How about you? I heard from Kazuma that Riku asked your family if he could bring you out for a date." She frowned when she realized that everyone already knew what he did. She offered the younger one with the last piece of cream puff but she declined.

"I'm not accepting his invitation yet. Even though my family already approved of him, it doesn't mean I will let him ruin my life." The younger one giggled at her answer instead. She frowned even more as she closed the box to bring it home since it is almost five in the afternoon.

"Is he really ruining your life when he is the main reason why you moved on from Itsuki? I mean, look at you now. You're smiling more because of him. When you were with Itsuki, your smiles didn't even reach your ears." She teased her and the older one just rolled her eyes before finishing the mug of iced coffee.

She arrived at the parking lot when she saw the Second Prince waiting for her. She pressed her lips together because it's been two months since he started driving her home. She once told him that she wanted to have her personal driver to bring her to Royal High instead and he respected her decision. He opened the door for her and when they were about to leave, he stepped on the brake abruptly because someone just blocked their way out. They immediately went out of the car to check if the person was harmed.

"Fuyu.. why? What happened?" They were so worried since it was the Ninth Princess. The most shocking thing they found on her was her uniform soaked with blood. The Fifth Princess trembled as she remembered what happened before.

"Fuyu, what happened? Where's Sho?" The Second Prince asked the younger one and she just cried hard while slumping on the ground. Another figure arrived and they were thankful that it was the Third Prince.

"Baka Fuyu. I told you to call for help." The Third Prince said while clutching on his bleeding shoulder. The Second Prince quickly brought them to the nearest hospital. It turned out that a group of men tried to ambush them while they were on their way to another city.

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"I'm already fine, Angel. Stop crying." He hushed her softly while caressing her hair. She sobbed hard, trying to wipe off the dried blood on her hands. The nurses and doctors made sure that both of them were not in life-threatening situations anymore. He groaned softly when he tried to move his body to move closer to her.

"The doctors finally removed the bullet on my shoulder and I will never ever leave you alone." The Third Prince whispered to the Ninth Princess and she slowly nodded, stopping on crying as well. The nurse excused her for a while to help her wash off the dried blood.

It's been a week since the incident happened. The campus photoshoot was about to get postponed but the Third Prince insisted that they should go through with the schedule as he didn't want to waste the staff's effort. She stared at him and he smiled at her while carefully putting the coat on. She bit her lips gently and fixed his necktie. He chuckled and then, he stole a quick peck on her lips.

"Don't worry. It's not that painful anymore." He kept on assuring the Ninth Princess and then, he hugged her gently. She made sure that she would not be able to press on his wound when she hugged him back.

The photoshoot turned out to be their graduation photoshoot. After the schedule, the couple decided to stay in the treehouse while the First Prince and the Sixth Princess decided to go for an amusement park date. The Fifth Princess looked at the Second Prince and she frowned when she saw him smirking. She squealed loudly when he suddenly carried her and then, he ran out to go to the parking lot.

She heaved a sigh when they arrived at one of the Aoyama Empire's five-star hotels. The Second Prince got a key card from the receptionist and they went to the top floor of the hotel in which his skyscraper was located. She was nervous when they walked in but she was surprised when the first thing he did was to call for a room service. He ordered her favorite food and coffee and when the room service staff arrived, they prepared the table for them.

"Let's eat. I'm thinking that you might be hungry now." The Second Prince smiled at him and she couldn't help but to blush faintly at his little actions. He pulled the chair for her and then, he took the seat across from her.

"I'm indeed hungry. Thank you, Riku." She smiled gently before taking a sip from her glass of iced coffee. She looked at the view through the huge glass windows and it was a perfect place for them since the sunlight is not bothering them. Everything was just so right at that moment.

They ate while talking about things including their plans after graduation. The Second Prince shared that he has plans on continuing his studies in another country and somehow, this made her feel sad. The three princesses decided to continue their studies in Royal University and if the Second Prince will leave, it means that she will feel a little alone. The warmth he was giving is different from what she was getting from her friends, so she would definitely miss him but she would never admit it.

"It will be difficult for me to go to another country for my studies, so I decided to stay here and continue it in Royal University. If that's really your plan, then I will support you." She said and then, he suddenly cupped her cheeks to wipe her tears. She didn't know that she was crying already, so she felt embarrassed about what he did.

"It's just a plan, Gia. I'm also considering Royal University but I don't want you to think that you're the reason why I will stay in Japan. No, it is not like that. It is my decision to stay here and with you. You should not feel bad with my decisions in life because I'm the only one who made it." The Second Prince said and this made her cry more. He panicked a bit, so he immediately had her in his arms.

Months had passed and it was their graduation ceremony already. Aside from the ceremony, there will also be a coronation night for the new princes and princesses of the Royal High. There will also be a graduation ball and party within the week and the start of the enrollment for the first semester in Royal University will be next month. After the graduation ceremony, they took photos together wearing their graduation dresses. It was a hectic schedule for them but at the end of the day, they enjoyed everything they experienced.

"I'm always thinking of going to another country with you. It sounds like we will elope." The former First Prince, Kazuma, chuckled while walking with the former Sixth Princess, Lauren. She pinched his cheeks and he gently slapped her hands, ending both of them to chase each other around the campus grounds.

"Sho, my grandfather is inviting you for tomorrow's dinner." The former Ninth Princess, Fuyu, smiled at her lover. The former Third Prince, Sho leaned closer to her and whispered something to her ear that made her blush furiously. She smacked his arm and puffed her cheeks before walking away from him.

"Will you be my girlfriend now?" The former Second Prince, Riku, asked the former Fifth Princess, Gia and she raised a brow while looking at him. He gave her puppy eyes and she rolled her eyes before brushing him off. He immediately caught her in his arms and she shook her head firmly with her arms crossed on her chest.

"What happened to your compassion in courting me forever?" She asked and the older one pouted while staring at her. She shoved him off and followed the two former princesses since they planned on going to the pet café with the former Fourth and Seventh Princes, Itsuki and Hokuto.

The former Eight Prince, Makoto had plans on helping the former Tenth Prince, Shogo to make new designs for their newly-built fashion apparel. Fuyu informed her twin brother first that she will go home a bit late because they also planned on going for a quick shopping after going to the pet café. He trusted the two men that they would take care of the three women, so after that, they left the Royal High. Gia stuck her tongue out while looking at Riku before going inside the van. He gestured to her to make a call once she got home and she nodded gently. Kazuma furrowed his brow and went inside the van as well. Lauren gave him a look and tried to push him out but he won't really budge.

"You're not included in this plan. Get out." She punched his arm lightly and he glared at her as she ended up asking for help from Riku and Sho. The two men went inside the van as well and everything turned chaotic but after some time, the three men were left at the parking lot alone and sad.

"Sometimes, I don't trust women." Sho said while staring at the van driving away from them. The two other men nodded, heaving deep sighs as they went inside their own cars to drive away. They were about to leave the parking lot already when they suddenly heard a loud explosion outside.

They rushed out and saw the huge black smoke coming out from an apartment building and there were lots of casualties around the place. They immediately called ambulances until Kazuma noticed the van's plate number at the side. The windows crashed and his heart started to beat so fast. He dragged the two men closer to it and they realized that everyone inside it was injured.

"Gia." Riku called her name, same for the two men. They were unconscious inside the van as the driver was already dead. His neck was slit and blood kept on gushing out from it. The ambulances finally arrived and they rushed them to the hospital.