CASTIEL

I WAS supposed to take my two-week suspension as a time to reflect on my actions and to enjoy stuff that I had neglected since I became part of the University Student Council. However, thanks to Alaric the Prick, I had to end my suspension prematurely and prepare our castle's defenses against his impending siege.

If he thought that we would just wave the white flag and open our gates to him so he could sack our capital city, he was gravely mistaken. We would not surrender even an inch of our land. I would fight to the bitter end—even if it would cost me my life.

The last part was obviously an exaggeration, but what I meant was crystal clear. Bottomline: Alaric the Prick must not sit on the throne at all costs.

"I know that you three have classes this morning, but I want to discuss this matter as soon as possible," said Dr. Sonia Altamonte, the director of Student Affairs. She also happened to be our adviser in the USC. The student government was supposed to be independent from any influence of the university administration, but the USC Constitution and By-laws—which had remained unamended since 1987—automatically appointed the director of Student Affairs as our adviser. In fairness to Dr. Altamonte, she remained true to the purpose of being an adviser—which was just to give us advice. She had not attempted to block any of our plans since we assumed office.

She summoned Priam and Valeria to her cubicle in the Office of Student Affairs. Hindi dapat ako kasama sa meeting, lalo na't suspended pa ako at isa lamang akong hamak na chief-of-staff. Ngunit dahil sa pumutok na balita, ipinatawag na rin ako.

"Have you read the latest issue of The Herald?" She tossed the folded newspaper on her desk. Nakaupo kaming tatlo sa kabilang panig ng mesa niya. "Do you know why Alaric and his bloc might file an impeachment complaint?"

Priam grabbed the newspaper and unfolded it in front of him. He had stopped reading The Herald since they published the gradual decline of his approval ratings. Ako lagi ang nagbabasa at nagre-report kung ano ang ibinalita tungkol sa kaniya o sa USC.

Valeria leaned close to him to get a better look. Hindi ko na kinailangang basahin pa dahil alam ko na ang laman n'on. But I had to pretend to be interested in it. The headline read:

LEXECOM MAJORITY BLOC MULLS FILING IMPEACHMENT RAPS VS USC PRES, VP —SOURCE

I had already informed Priam about it, so he was not as shocked as Valeria. The leak also came from me so it did not come as a surprise that Reynard Falcon wrote that article. This was all part of my plan to soften the initial impact of the impeachment blow... and for one other reason.

"Walang ibinigay na specific details sa article," Dr. Altamonte took off the eyeglasses that were sliding down the bridge of her nose, "kaya kung totoo o posible man ang bulung-bulungan na impeachment laban sa inyo, I need to know as early as now. The chancellor may ask me about it during our meeting later this week. I have to be properly informed."

My face twitched and my hand clawed at my left leg. A stabbing pain coursed through it. Mabuti't ilang segundo lamang ang itinagal n'on kaya hindi nahalata ng mga kasama ko ang pagngiwi ng aking mukha.

Valeria flicked her eyes to me, and I gave her a nod in response. "It has something to do with the Freedom of Information bill, ma'am."

"What of it? If I recall correctly, unanimous ang vote doon ng LEXECOM, 'di ba?"

"Before the actual vote, we thought that the majority bloc would kill the motion. So we tried to convince one of them to vote in favor of its approval."

Our adviser squinted her eyes. "And how did you convince that person?"

"We, uhm..." Valeria looked down for a few beats. She must be struggling to find the right words. Ang pangit pakinggan kung sasabihin niyang binlackmail namin ang isang CSC chairperson. Our adviser would not be happy to hear it.

"Valeria and I offered a quid pro quo to the chairperson of the College of Computer Studies' student council," I finished her sentence. Ako na ang sasalo sa kaniya sakaling hindi niya kayang ituloy. The idea was mine anyway. "We found out that Chevy and some CCS students were involved in spreading the false rumor about Fabienne Lucero—"

"The one started by her ex-boyfriend?"

Marahan akong tumango. "Ayaw po naming malagay sa kontrobersiya ang isang chairperson, maging ang ilan niyang officers at collegemates. Kaya nakiusap kami na kung puwede, iboto niya kung ano ang sa tingin niya'y tama at huwag basta-basta sumunod sa kagustuhan ng kaniyang party."

"That sounds like subtle coercion to me." Our adviser reclined in her seat. "But isn't that unnecessary? All chairpersons—even those from the majority bloc—voted in favor of the FOI bill. Either they really intended to vote yes or Chevy managed to convince them to support the motion."

"My guess is that it's a trap set by majority bloc," I said, pushing my spectacles up the bridge of my nose. "They made it look like they were going to oppose it so we would be forced to use whatever's necessary to convince at least one of them. Kumagat kami sa pain kaya nabingwit kami."

Dr. Altamonte breathed a sigh before flicking her gaze to our president. "Were you aware of their action? Did you authorize it?"

Priam lifted his gaze from the newspaper. A few beats of silence followed. I surveyed his face intently.

"Yes, I was well aware of what they did, ma'am."

"No, you weren't!" Val interjected before turning to our adviser. "No, ma'am, he wasn't! Priam only knew na kauusapin namin si Chevy. Wala siyang kaalam-alam maging sa naging takbo ng meeting namin."

"Don't try to claim responsibility," I told him with matching hand gestures. "Hindi ka namin sinabihan kung ano'ng balak naming gawin para ma-convince si Chevy kaya hindi mo maaako 'yon!"

"Any action related to student governance by any officer of the USC has my consent," Priam insisted with his firm voice. Hindi niya kami binalingan ng tingin ni Val. "Therefore, their method of convincing Chevy had my approval."

I squeezed my eyes shut as I hung my head low. Kulang na lamang ay sabihin niyang "the buck stops with me." I got the whole point about holding himself accountable for the actions of his officers. But this was not the right time to insist it—especially not in front of our adviser! Minsan talaga, ang tigas ng ulo niya.

"He wasn't able to give his approval because he wasn't informed." Val motioned to him. "This is his way of putting the blame on himself."

"Whether he was aware or not, you can't change the fact that the coercion was done for the benefit of the USC," Dr. Altamonte commented. "At lahat ng mga galaw ng student council ay automatically ina-assume na may blessing ng head nito. I admire Priam for taking accountability for your actions."

But that trait of his would not solve the problem. It might even get him into trouble.

"We can't change the past so let's look into the future," she added. "Ano'ng plano n'yong gawin sakaling matuloy ang impeachment complaint?"

"The thought of resignation has crossed my mind," Priam answered. "It's better step aside with dignity than fight a battle that we cannot win. If I step down, there's no need to initiate any impeachment proceedings."

"Priam!" Val widened her eyes at him. "Sure ka ba riyan? Are you willing to throw away everything we've achieved so far?"

"Only if there's no chance of winning at all." I beat him to the punch. "For the motion to succeed, six votes are needed. The majority bloc already has five votes, so they need to flip at least one of the four remaining committee members. I have already talked to the three SALVo chairwomen and the lone independent. I can confirm that they won't easily pledge their support for the impeachment—"

"But that doesn't mean they will stand by us," Priam cut my words short. "They can swing either way."

"The majority bloc can offer them something to change their minds," Val added. "Wala tayong mai-so-offer sa kanila. If we bribe them with anything, patutunayan lang n'on ang accusation na ibinabato sa atin."

"We can rest easy knowing they can't win the support of the three chairwomen from SALVo," I assured them. "Now they're trying so hard to woo the lone independent. They even made Felicity an offer that she refused outright."

Dr. Altamonte would have a meeting in ten minutes, so we ended the discussion and left her office. The three of us walked back quietly to the USC office, refusing to engage ourselves in any conversation. Only my cane was making clanks that filled the silence around us.

We reached the USC office in less than five minutes. Bumati sa amin sina Sabrina, Tabitha, at Rowan na nakaupo sa lounge at sabay-sabay na tumayo para salubungin kami. We had not seen each other for days, so I was not expecting any changes in their appearances.

"Welcome back!" bati sa akin ni Rowan. He looked dazzling as ever. "Akala ko'y matatagalan pa ang pagbabalik mo sa council. We've missed the sound of your cane striking against the floor!"

"That's nakakairita kaya!" reklamo ni Tabitha. Wavy pa rin ang buhok niya at mataray pa rin ang itsura. "Ilang days nakapagpahinga ang ears ko mula sa noise n'on."

Sabrina only greeted me with a nod. I also had not seen her in this office for days, but we had been in constant communication.

"Duty calls. I wish I returned under better circumstances," I replied, stopping in my tracks and placing my cane in front of my legs. "I hope you're all ready for what's to come."

"Mukhang ini-scold kayo ng adviser natin, ah?" Tabitha arched an eyebrow.

"If you have read The Herald, you know that an impeachment complaint against me and Valeria is looming," Priam said, laying his palms on the headrest of the couch. "We need to prepare for barrage of attacks from all sides."

"Marami na ngang nagte-text at nagtsa-chat sa 'kin mula sa ibang publications tungkol sa Herald article," kuwento ni Rowan. "I told them that we will issue an official statement later today."

"Some LEXECOM members were already aware of the possible impeachment complaint even before the article was published," Val added. "Siguradong magiging awkward mamaya sa session namin."

"So ano'ng plan natin?" Tabitha asked.

"My resignation from the presidency is on the table. If I step down now, there won't be any impeachment. We can keep our dignity intact," Priam answered. "But Cas wants to battle it out in the trial."

"The news about the looming impeachment is already out so Alaric and his bloc will have to proceed with it," I explained. "If you resign now, the students will only think that the rumor about you committing an impeachable offense is true. Your dignity will no longer be intact. It has come to this, so let's face it head-on."

That's right. The reason why I leaked the information to Reynard was to make the impeachment battle happen. Alaric the Prick would have no choice but to initiate it. Priam would have no choice but to fight until the end. A calculated risk on our part. The news would graze our cheeks and make us bleed a little, but not enough to take us down.

"Once the motion makes it to the floor, I suggest that you inhibit from the proceedings," the president told his vice. "Let us show them a sign of good faith—that we will not try to influence the outcome of the trial through your power as the presiding officer."

"Got it." Val nodded at him. "I'm thinking the same thing."

"Sabrina," Priam called, "review the impeachment procedure and the only impeachment trial in the history of Elysian University. Let's see if we can learn from the past and avoid any missteps."

The secretary only gave him a nod.

"Tabitha, prepare the budget request for the campus fair. Whether or not we survive impeachment, we must be business as usual."

"I know~"

"Rowan, draft statements on every step of the impeachment proceedings. Say that we are looking forward to cooperating with the LEXECOM."

"Roger that."

"And Cas..." Priam turned me with a serious look on his face. "Do what you must within your power. But no more dirty tricks this time. Understood?"

I bowed. "I made this mess. I'm going to get us out of it. Trust me."

He went straight to his cubicle with Val following right behind him. Akmang paalis na rin ang iba pang officers. I stomped my cane to get their attention. They all turned to me.

"Our priority is to protect Priam at all cost," I told them, my hands on top of my cane. "If the king falls, the game is over. We can't let that happen, can we?"

"Are we gonna use our secret weapon na?" Tabitha asked. "May nakita akong discrepancies sa reports. Not conclusive, but enough to raise some questions. Puwede nating ma-use para—"

"You heard Priam. No more dirty tricks. For now," I cut her words short. "We won't use them for a quid pro quo anymore. Huwag na muna nating sabuyan ng gasolina ang apoy na nagbabadyang sunugin ang bahay natin. But prepare them just in case."

"Okay," tinatamad niyang sagot. "Pero ano bang pina-plan mo?"

"The impeachment is going to be a blockbuster movie in this cinema. Let's add another to divide the student body's attention."

"How?"

"Sab, draw up our findings on the mudslinging campaign against Fabienne," I ordered. "It's time to teach Chevy a lesson. He was only a pawn, but he deserved to be punished for putting us in this position. Give the documents to Rowan."

She nodded meekly at me.

"Rowan, pass along the documents to the new Herald reporter. What's her name again?"

"Ambrielle."

"Right. Let Fabienne's fans—which is almost half of the student body—feast on the poor Chevy, his council, and his college."

"Copy that!"

"And Tabitha? Once the impeachment trial begins, release the audit reports to The Herald and to all college student publications. Let's make the student body think that some CSC chairpeople from the majority bloc want Priam and Val impeached because we're about to expose their corruption. We must influence the narrative and make ourselves favorable in it."

"Okay~"

"They want war. Let's give them war. Now, let's get back to work," I said before turning to our secretary. "Sab, do you have Alaric's number?"

His deadline for our response was drawing near, but I was not the type of person to wait until the last second. I also did not want to see his face again. Baka mahampas ko pa siya ng cane ko. It would be better for both of us to not meet in person. A phone call would already suffice.

"Hello, Alaric?" I said after dialing his number. "This is Castiel of the University Student Council."

"Mr. Chief-of-Staff! Is your suspension over? How are you doing—"

"Let's skip the unnecessary chit-chats. That last time we talked, you offered us a way out. Is that offer still on the table?"

"Of course. It's a courtesy that I'm willing to extend to the USC president. Have you come to a decision?"

"Yes, that's why I'm calling. We appreciate your offer of mercy, but you can shove it up your ass. Because there's no way we're going to give up the USC and hand it to you on a silver platter."

"What a shame. Well, it's going to be your funeral. See you in the trial."

Then I hung up. My day would be ruined if I kept listening to his smug voice.

The impeachment was going to be an uphill battle. But if we could manage to come out on top, we would pierce through that person's apparent invincibility.

Bring it on, Alaric the Prick.

♔

NEXT UPDATE: Will the Queen pledge to defend her King?

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