["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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REYNARD
WE WERE just three weeks into the second semester, but things escalated quickly! I almost envied Rie because all the action seemed to be centered around the USC. Kung hindi ako na-reassign, ako dapat ang nagko-cover n'on. Ako dapat ang may front-row seat do'n.
But thanks to Castiel and his aggressive stance, nabiyayaan din kaming nagko-cover ng LEXECOM. He kept us busy! His relentless attacks on Alaric Esteban with material to work on. For that, I was thankful.
A campus war was brewing, and only a few students were aware of it. Hindi alam ng karamihan kung sino ang unang nagpaputok: si Castiel ba o si Alaric? I wasn't even sure myself. But that was the least of my worries right now.
"Mister Chair!" I called out to the university's alpha tiger. Inabangan ko siyang lumabas sa student council office ng Business and Accountancy building. I had learned from my colleague covering the CBA beat that the CSC held a meeting before lunchtime. For this ambush to be perfect, I didn't wear my navy blue hoodie. I might stick out like a sore thumb, and he could have evaded me as soon as he spotted me nearby.
"Reynard from the Herald?" he acknowledged me, abruptly stopping. Nakaakmang haharangan ako ng kasama niyang councilor, pero sumenyas siya rito. That guy glared at me instead. "I have already released my official statement to the campus press. There's nothing else that I can add to it."
Due to Castiel's live interview with us and Valeria Encarnacion's confirmation, Alaric found himself in hot water. What a PR nightmare! To most students, his image was flawless. Meron siyang looks, meron siyang charisma, meron siyang brains, at meron din siyang talent sa sports.
However, the supposed revelations made some students question if his image was truly spotless. May ilang nag-post sa SchoolBuzz na binabatikos ang umano'y ginawa niya. May isa o dalawa rin sa columnists namin ang nagsulat ng opinion piece tungkol sa kaniya. He was supposed to be untouchable and invulnerable. Now, he was exposed, all thanks to Castiel.
"I'm not here to inquire about your statement," I replied with a smile. "I'm here to ask about the conspiracy theory circulating on SchoolBuzz."
"Conspiracy?" Some of his councilors scoffed.
"You don't have to respond to filth—"
Alaric raised his hand, instantly silencing his colleagues. The leader knew how to rein in his tigers. "What conspiracy theory is this?"
"That you were involved in the USC president's attempted assassination." There was no need to beat around the bush. Nearby students gasped as if hearing this angle for the first time. "You allegedly asked the president to resign in exchange for not exposing him. That failed. You tried to impeach him. That failed, too. Now, some are speculating that maybe... you took more drastic measures."
"Let me put in on record—and I hope you're recording this—that I have nothing to do with what happened to Priam Torres." Alaric stared directly into my eyes with each word. "Now, off the record, I wonder why a distinguished Herald reporter is entertaining such a conspiracy theory. I hope you don't stoop so low. You've built quite a reputation for yourself. Don't throw it away."
