["PLAY THE KING" IS ACT TWO OF THE "PLAY" SERIES. PLEASE READ "PLAY THE QUEEN" FIRST.]
It's been four months since Priam Torres, the once unpopular president of the Elysian University Student Council, assumed office. Thanks to his chief-of-staff Cas...
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CASTIEL
IF THERE was a perfect opportunity to turn things around, now would be the time. If we would not do anything drastic, everything we gained from Oplan First Lady would go down the drain. There was a hole in our ship. It was getting bigger, allowing more water to enter. If we could not plug it in time, our ship would sink to the bottom of the sea.
"We're losing the impeachment trial and the court of public opinion," Helene told us during our meeting in the USC office's conference room a day before the third hearing. Kanina pa niya minamasahe ang kaniyang sentido. "If we can't convince the student body in the next hearing that you deserve to be retained, your expulsion from this office will be inevitable."
"I really believe that they timed the release of that audio clip during our turn at the witness stand." Valeria folded her arms across her chest. Gaya ng nakasanayan, nasa kanan siya ni Priam habang ako'y nasa kaliwa. "Hindi nila agad inilabas 'yon para ma-caught off guard at magisa tayo nang todo."
"We can't put the genie back in the bottle," I commented with a frustrated sigh. Damn that Alaric the Prick! He would not run out of tricks. "What we can do is counter or deflect their next attacks."
"They will most likely present the certification proving that the recording is authentic. Once they do, that's going to be the final nail in the coffin." Helene clicked her tongue thrice. "Tatapatin ko na kayo. Hindi ko na alam kung paano tayo makapagka-come back mula ro'n. It's very damning evidence, and it's enough to convince more students to oust you."
"So it's going to be a checkmate, huh?" I muttered. "The match is already decided."
I did not want to even entertain this thought, but I had to hand it to Alaric the Prick for orchestrating this brilliant scheme. He took away our ally from CAS and replaced her with his own pawn. He then strategically timed the release of the audio clip. He also gagged Fabienne through one of his minions in the Repertory Theater to lower our chances of turning public opinion in our favor.
The First Lady could speak a bit more freely now—thanks to her own clever maneuvering—but it might be a bit late for her to save us. The game would be over in one or two moves. Checkmate is imminent.
"How inevitable is our ousting?" Priam asked. He rested his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers. "Do we have any fighting chance at all?"
"At this rate, I'd put it at ninety percent." Helene chewed her lower lip. "The only way to change those numbers is by disputing the evidence, which we supposedly can't, given the givens."
The president flicked his gaze to us. "I do not want to sound defeatist, but is resignation on the table? I'm considering stepping aside with whatever dignity we have left. Being impeached by the LEXECOM and being voted out by the students seem more humiliating than stepping down."
"I thought so, too." Val nodded. "Mas mabuti yata kung uunahan na natin ang hatol sa atin. May matitira pa tayong dignidad kaysa tuluyan tayong pabagsakin at pagtatadyakan hanggang sa hindi na tayo makabangon. We can spin the narrative like we want to avoid further division in the student body—"
