["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
CASTIEL DISAPPEARED once again. It felt like deja vu. Pagkatapos ng interrupted presser niya, bigla siyang tumakbo palabas nang hindi man nag-e-excuse o tinatapos 'yon. It was so abrupt that my colleagues were left stunned and speechless in the media briefing room. Curious reporters also asked their source inside the USC—a.k.a. Rowan Oronce—but he refused to make any comments. Meron pa ngang ilan sa kanila ang nag-stake out sa labas ng opisina at ng admin building, but they failed to catch a glimpse of the acting president or even his shadow.
Kung anuman ang kaniyang nabasa sa phone niya, 'yon ang nagpabalisa at nagpatakbo sa kaniya. He ran the same way a person who saw a white lady would run. Baka minumulto siya ng nakaraan o ng kasalukuyan.
The good news? Priam is already awake! Rowan relayed the information to us as soon as they got the confirmation in the afternoon. Almost every discussion on SchoolBuzz was about the USC president. Natabunan na nga ang biglaang pag-walk out ni Castiel. The king would return to his rightful throne soon, and not all people cared about the placeholder.
Unfortunately, Priam would need some weeks to recover to full health before he could reassume the presidency. His vice president, Castiel, was nowhere to be found at the moment—not even in the university apartment. So that means . . .
"Please raise your right hand and repeat after me."
This morning, reporters were called for the oathtaking of the new acting president. Castiel's thrilling reign was short-lived and ended on a cliffhanger. Apparently, he filed a leave of absence due to the impact of his sister's death. May she rest in peace, by the way. He would need some time to grieve. Ang behavior niya no'ng press briefing ay proof na hindi pa siya mentally and emotionally ready para i-lead ang student government.
Therefore, the burden fell on the next person in the line of succession: Alaric Esteban. Nakatuntong siya sa podium, nakaharap kay USC Chief of Staff Lavinia Esquivel na nag-a-administer ng kaniyang oath, at nakataas ang kanang kamay. He got a smug look on his face as if he had already won the game before it even started.
"I, state your name, do solemnly swear . . ."
"I, Alaric Esteban, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully fulfill my duties as Acting President of the University Student Council until the duly elected President reassumes the powers and duties of his office."
"I will, to the best of my ability . . ."
"I will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and By-Laws of the Student Government of Elysian University."
"So help me God."
"So help me God."
"Congratulations, Mr. Acting President." Lavinia shook hands with him. The two struck a pose before our cameras. Alaric was all smiles while Lavinia looked a bit uncomfortable in his presence. I got to hand it to the USC. Despite their extreme apprehension of that guy, they chose to swallow their pride and do the right thing. Denying Alaric the presidency—no matter how short-lived it might be—would be a blatant violation of the Constitution and By-Laws. The last thing that the USC needed right now was a controversy.
