The Prince and I | BrightWin FanFic

Chapter 4: Day One

After the orientation seminar, social media became abuzz with the news that the Crown Prince enrolled in law school but chose a southern university instead of the usual ones in the capital.

Twitter exploded with photos taken by students of AdDU when Prince Bright gave his welcome speech. Prince Bright, Bright, and AdDU became top trending topics in the Philippines.

When the Prince was walking the university corridors, accompanied by the Dean and members of the faculty to the law school building, students from the undergraduate programs came out of their classes eager to see the Crown Prince in person.

The crowd only subsided when some of the faculty members yelled for everyone to leave the Prince alone and not bother him when he's inside the campus. While all this chaos is happening, Bright only had his default smile plastered all over his face to hide his frustration and the yearning for the love he recently lost.

Win, Khao and Love hurriedly left the orientation seminar's venue and went to their assigned classroom. They wanted to secure the third row from the last, their usual and favorite area since college.

Win would always be at the edge near the wall or windows, Love would be sitting in the center, and next will be Khao. They created this arrangement to avoid people wanting to sit beside Win, who was popular ever since because of his good looks and intelligence. The vacant seat would be next to Khao since the friendly bloke doesn't mind sitting next to strangers and make new friends.

There was no one in the classroom when they arrived and they immediately secure their preferred seats. One by one students arrived and picked their seats. Win would simply give his signature bunny smile to the newly arrived ones who will be their classmates for the semester or if they all survive for the entire school year.

The classroom was nearly full when three guys entered, one of whom is Prince Bright. And then there was silence.

The three men checked for vacant seats and found the vacant row behind the seats Win, Khao, and Love are sitting. The Prince and his two companions walked the aisle with friendly smiles, nodding on everyone who would look at them.

Khao and Love looked at the three, giving the Prince and his friends their warm smiles. On the other hand, Win chose to look down and scan his Persons and Family relations notes, which he did while reading the lessons in advance weeks before the start of classes.

Prince Bright saw Win's profile and was a bit taken aback by his classmate's chiseled features, which were made more prominent by his milky white complexion. The guy is glowing, the Prince thought to himself. The Prince also noticed how the guy didn't bother to look at him as the rest of their classmates.

Bright then chose the seat directly at the back of Win, while Tay sat in the middle and Off next to him.

Shortly, the professor entered the classroom and requested everyone to pass forward their class cards. She then welcomed them, and they learned they belong to the Wigmore class, one of the five freshmen sections. Win learned during the orientation that Manresa, Sanchez Roman, Viada, and Estrellado are the other four sections.

"Welcome to House Wigmore. When I was a freshman, like all of you, I was also placed in Wigmore. So I fervently hope that there would be many from Wigmore who will survive and proceed to the second year." the professor said in an authoritative voice.

The professor then talked about her grading system, house rules, and other classroom policies. She even didn't bother to reiterate the Crown Prince's presence in her class, which Win thought was proper as the Prince was already introduced to the entire law school a while ago.

She then called the students one by one using the class cards and asked them to introduce themselves, their undergraduate course, alma mater, and the reason for entering law school.

"Sherwin Tantiangco Rama," the professor called.

Win immediately stood up, shifted his position with his back on the wall to face everyone, and gave everyone his brightest smile before starting his introduction.

Wow. He's beautiful.

The prince is just inches away from Win, and he had the front row seat to witness the tall guy's beauty. He looked elegant with his striped sky blue shirt with the long sleeves folded rolled up, reaching just below his elbows. He wore khaki pants, with his shirt tucked in, showcasing his narrow waist and v-shaped body. He is a fine male specimen that can even rival the country's Crown Prince's widely celebrated good looks.

"Hi everyone. I am Sherwin Tantiangco Rama. Win for short. I took the Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at this very same university. And I entered law school because ever since as a child, I have aspired to be a lawyer who advocates for equality and upholding the rights of the common man." Win said in his usual soft tone yet still full of charisma and elegance.

Admiration was evident on the faces of Win's classmates. The tall, smiling man is a lethal combination of beauty and eloquence, enough to elicit murmurs and squeaks from his female classmates. The Prince, on the other hand, was staring at Win with bated breath. He only recovered and went back to the real world when Tay gave him a soft nudge.

"Mr. Rama, are you also a CPA like Ms. Ongpauco and Mr. Lim?" the professor queried.

"Yes, ma'am. We were classmates and good friends way back in high school." Win answered.

CPA. So also smart. Interesting.

These were Bright's thoughts.

The last name called by the professor was Bright's. When called, the professor even joked that she would not address the Prince with his honorifics to make everyone equal, to which the Crown Prince agreed with a grin during class.

"Hi. As you might have already known, I am Bright Alexander Bonifacio. I graduated from Cambridge University with a diploma in History and Politics."

Wow. Cambridge. History and Politics...impressive.

Win was listening while not turning his head to face the Prince. Prince Bright is well-spoken and obviously gorgeous, Win thought. He was tempted to give the Prince a look but resisted himself. He cannot explain it, but Win thought that his upcoming investiture would mean he will have more encounters with the Prince, so it's best to keep it cool and avoid acting like a fanboy.

On the other hand, Bright has become more curious of Win when the latter didn't even glance at him when he introduced himself. Win's not interested in Bright, the latter thought. And for a citizen of the Kingdom, this is a first for Bright to be given no attention at all.

It was already 8PM when their last class for the day ended. After the professor left, the students stood up and started fixing their stuff. Win stood up and gave Bright and his friends a friendly smile before talking to his best friends. Bright and his friends quietly left, following the rest of their classmates.

"Dinner?" Win invited Love and Khao.

"Harly's?" Love suggested. "Sure. It's been a while since our last visit." Khao said.

"But I didn't expect we will be classmates for the entire school year with the Crown Prince." Love exclaimed.

"Me too. He looks friendly and damn; he looks ten times better in person than those shown on the internet." Khao commented with his usual jolly tone.

"Yeah. He looks friendly and humble considering his status." Win chimed in.

"Like you, my friend. You are also very grounded for a duke." Khao said.

"We're different, Khao." Win refuted. "I just learned about my inheritance, so before everything, I was just a regular kid who grew up in a regular family. On the other hand, Prince Bright was already poised to be this country's next monarch upon his birth. So his humility amidst his royal status makes it more impressive." Win added.

"Wow. You've said a lot. Do you have a crush on Prince Bright?" Love asked while they are taking the stairs of the law school building.

"I don't think so." Win answered.