My Royal Lesson (Kingdom University, #4)

Prologue

Prologue: Meeting the Prince

Breaking the Royalty Couple Streak: Kevin Fuentez and a Commoner

I almost cursed when I saw the top article in the portal. I knew Alice would appear in one of these nasty articles sooner or later because of her involvement with Kevin but why do they have to write the headline like that?

The content irritated me but I didn't realize I blurted out some reactions and caught their attention. I tried hiding my phone but based on their expressions, it seemed like they already knew what I was trying to hide.

"Nice try but nope. Show me," Alice said.

"But . . ."

"Wait, are you on that portal again?" Steff asked.

"Nope," I lied.

"You're not a good liar, Yna," Jess commented. "Si Alice, oo, ikaw hindi."

In the end, I gave up. They read the article and I felt guilty when I saw Alice's expression. I got my phone back and scrolled down to see the name of the writer. It was Gewena Zarsa, the girl who begged Kevin not to leave her.

She told us she was okay but I could see her sadness behind that cheerful facade. Alice was the strongest emotionally among us so it was hard to look at her with such troubled expression.

Steff and Jess left for their classes and I also excused myself to settle something.

I carefully tread toward one of my favorite space and plopped on the grass as I leaned against the wall of the building. My phone was already receiving tons of notifications and I had to turn them off so I could focus on my works.

A chat suddenly popped up so I opened it and read the conversation.

moonlight: hey, Gewena's latest article is on the top spot!

cafemocha: ikr, it seems like students really like gossips about the campus prince and princesses

mugiwara: lol almost all trending articles are about them

yeoshin: but this one's too much, don't you think?

kingtrex: because of the word commoner?

I heaved a sigh. It's been a while since all of us were online but when we do, it would always take at least an hour or two before we resolve all of our concerns. Being the administrators of the underground site or portal was exciting and draining at the same time.

Steff and Jess were both Campus Princesses while Alice could dance and exude confidence through her expressions and words. The three of them were talented while I was the only one who didn't have anything to be proud of. Steff said I was observant, which I didn't believe at first, but later on, that was what got me here.

When we were still freshmen, I learned about the portal from my classmate in one of my subjects and I was fascinated by how a simple information or gossip could reach thousands of students in a few hours or even minutes. I tried applying as a writer and got accepted after several days. What made it more special was that we could stay anonymous if we wanted. All current administrators were anonymous so we could freely talk without worrying if we knew each other personally.

mugiwara: you have a point

yeoshin: who approved the article?

cafemocha: moonlight

moonlight: well, I got excited. sorry

kingtrex: should we take it down?

cafemocha: but half of the campus already read the post. what's the point of taking it down?

She had a point. The damage was done. Alice was already getting targeted by Kevin's admirers. I just hope she could still act like herself even if everyone's eyes were already on her.

I exited the group chat to focus on the thing where half of my notifications came from. My lips curved upward when I saw the messages but I also felt the pressure from their expectations.

Thank you for your patience! I'll upload the next chapter this week xxx

I was about to exit the thread but the unexpected happened.

"Oh. So you're notaroyalty?"

Besides the portal, there was another site where students go during their free time—Kingdom Nook, a fiction writing forum. I got to know this site through moonlight but they didn't know I became one of its writers. Not even Steff, Jess and Alice knew about it.

"Your fan fictions are really popular among my classmates."

I looked up and saw a guy who was leaning out of the window above me. He was staring at my phone and I immediately turned it off but he just chuckled at my action. His gaze shifted toward me and he flashed a lighthearted smile.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," he said and he pulled back, leaving me dumbfounded. "Ah. We have met before, right?"

Yeah, I wanted to say, but my voice wouldn't come out. I knew him well.

Calvin Gisel Villanueva, one of our batch's Campus Princes, and the person who helped me in my Kas1 report before. That was already a year ago so I didn't expect him to remember me . . . but he did.

And now, he knows one of my secrets.

***