["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
DESPITE EVEYTHING, life must go on. We were facing an uphill impeachment battle—and we might even lose our positions—but we could not just focus on parrying the attacks of our enemies. Hindi kami iniluklok dito para mag-apula lamang kami ng apoy sa buong term namin. We had the sworn duty to govern thirteen thousand students of Elysian University. At may isang tried and tested method para mapasaya ang libo-libong constituents namin: panem et circenses. Bread and circuses.
Enter the much anticipated campus fair, one of the highlights of our college life and of our administration. This was the best opportunity for our university to showcase its prestige not only to our own community, but also to outsiders. If we could do a great job at displaying what the Elysian University had to offer, we might see a bump in terms of enrollment next academic year. That was important to us since we were aiming to be reelected and govern again for another term. Shame that the fair was being overshadowed by the impeachment debacle.
Half an hour before today's meeting, I briefed Priam about our strategy for the second hearing. Nag-usap na kami ni Helene kahapon at nagkasundo kami sa approach na gagamitin namin. We even held a mock hearing just to prepare me and my questions to the already expected questions. Since we had a few more minutes, I decided to talk about something else.
"I saw Fabienne's post with you yesterday," I said out of the blue after snapping the leather folder in my right hand shut. Umangat ang tingin ko sa kanya. "Did she come up with that idea on her own?"
"She did," Priam replied, also closing his folder. Sumandal siya sa swivel chair at ipinatong ang mga braso sa mga armrest nito. "She's frustrated with their publicity manager's antics. Remember the article you showed me the other day?"
One thing I liked about Fabienne was that she wasn't an actress who relied too much on a script or who needed cueing. Alam na niya ang gagawin kahit hindi ko siya sabihan. Since our fallout right after the fake rumor incident, I had somewhat distanced myself from her. Walang mabuting maidudulot kung ipipilit ko ang aking sarili na makipag-ayos sa kanya.
She might have second thoughts doing what I thought was best for her and Priam's play. But her moving the way I would have suggested was fortunate on my part. Mas mabuting kusa na niyang naisipan na iangat ang image ni Priam sa pamamagitan ng isang simpleng video upload at pabulaanan ang tsismis tungkol sa kaniya at sa co-star niya. That was such a masterful move.
"Who's their publicity manager again?" I tried to recall. That person's name was mentioned before, but it escaped my mind.
"Priscilla Mercado," Priam revealed.
Priscilla? Ah! That's why the name rang a bell in me! Priam might be unfamiliar with her, but I was not. I would not completely forget an enemy's name, even if I did not recognize it by the given name alone.
"Yen said she recently joined the theater production," he added. "She's throwing some ideas that Yen doesn't like that much. Pakiramdam niya'y nililimitahan siya nito."
