A/N: The Queen is under attack! What will the King and his council do?

CASTIEL

I WANTED to curse the heavens. Everything was going well according to my plan . . . until fate decided to pull a freaking plot twist! Couldn't they let things go my way? Parang ayaw nilang mag-succeed ang plano ko.

Around seven in the evening, I was still in the USC office when Rowan sent me the link to a post of "What's The Tea?" account on the CampuSite. Excited pa nga ako noong una dahil akala ko'y related 'yon kina Priam at Fabienne. Imagine my surprise when I read the post. My phone almost slipped from my fingers.

Just in time, Fabienne's name flashed across my phone screen. She must have also seen the post and wanted to explain, which was fine because we needed to put out the fire before it could grow and spread. Instead of an explanation, she informed me of The Herald's invitation to feature her as this year's magazine cover model and story. I still had no idea what Reynard's motive might be, but I gave her the go signal.

The fact that she did not open the topic about the alarming post could mean that she was unaware of it yet. So I addressed the elephant in the room by forwarding her the same link that Rowan had sent me. Hindi siya agad nakasagot nang tanungin ko siya ulit tungkol sa post. A minute or two later, she told me "It's not true" then hung up.

I thought of messaging her just to ask for an elaboration. Bakit kaya may ganitong post na lumabas? Sino sa tingin niya ang posibleng nasa likod nito? But I let her be. Baka sa sobrang gulat niya sa kanyang nabasa, hindi siya makaisip nang maayos. The comments on the post were also vicious and toxic. May mga nag-defend sa kanya at ang sabi'y huwag basta-basta maniwala sa tsismis. Pero may ilan ding malakas ang kutob na baka totoo ang kanilang nabasa.

We were just starting to build her image, then this happened. The timing was suspicious.

The next morning, I called for an emergency meeting between Priam, Valeria and me. Hindi ko muna in-involve ang iba pang USC officers hangga't wala pa kaming solid idea kung ano ang gagawin. Priam and I were the early birds in the conference room since we got here together. Magmula pa kaninang nasa apartment kami hanggang sa nakarating dito, mukhang troubled siya sa dilemma na kinakaharap ng First Lady niya.

"What is the meaning of this?" Valeria asked as soon as she came in. Her ponytail bounced in every step she took. Dala-dala pa niya ang kanyang shoulder bag, ni hindi man naisipang ilagay muna 'yon sa cubicle niya. "This is a really, really bad situation for us! Have you seen the number of shares and comments? They're calling her names!"

"Don't be so surprised." I placed my hands on top of my cane's handle and held it firmly in front of me. "Most people readily believe everything they see online. That's why fake news can spread easily on social media nowadays."

Val pulled the swivel chair to Priam's right and sat on it. She leaned forward. "Cas, you said she's clean, right?"

I nodded. "Fabienne confirmed to me that she hasn't been involved in any controversy that may damage her image."

"And you readily believed her just because she said so?" she scoffed. "Kung may itinatago man siyang baho, malamang hindi niya aaminin. She's applying for a scholarship. She's desperate. She'd do everything, even lie, just to get what she wanted."

"She also told me last night that this post isn't true."

"At naniwala ka naman?" natatawang tanong niya. Her tone was sarcastic, and I did not appreciate it. "If she had lied to you in the beginning, she would lie all the way through! Her image and her scholarship are at stake here. She would lose both if she doesn't keep up with the lie."

"You sound too prejudiced against her," I replied in a serious tone as I eyed her intently. "The post can either be a fake news or a secret she didn't want exposed."

"You want me to give her the benefit of the doubt?" Val reclined in her seat, staring at me. "I can. But the students who read and believed that post won't. Sabi mo nga, madali silang mauto ng mga nababasa nila online. The only way we can properly respond to this situation is if we can verify what Fabienne told you during the interview. Otherwise, some students will fall for the lie and their opinion will turn against her."

"Does Fabienne look like someone who'd do something so controversial?" Priam finally broke his silence. Kanina pa siya nakaupo, naka-anggulo sa side ang swivel chair at magkapatong ang mga kamay sa isa't isa. "Because for me, she doesn't. Based on my conversations with her, she's not the type of person who wants an easy way to get what she wants. Remember, I told her that she can have our scholarship even if she no longer acts as my First Lady, but she refused my offer and insisted on doing something in return."

Val's eyes squinted at him. Muli ring nabaling ang tingin niya sa akin. "I can't believe you two. Agad kayong nagpaniwala sa pinagsasabi niya. Nakalimutan n'yo na ba na isa siyang actress? She can pretend to be a good, hardworking girl. She can tell you the words that you want to hear. She has probably told you that she's an expert in that art."

"Why are you so against her?" Priam swivelled his chair to face his vice president. His pale face showed no expression. "You're unusually hostile against Fabienne this morning. Is something going on? I thought you've already resolved your issue with her?"

The only person in this room who could shut Val's mouth and put her in her right place was none other than Priam. Mabuti't napansin niya ang tono ng kanyang VP. Kanina pa ako nagtitimpi sa upuan ko na sagutin siya. Now, she would have to deal with the person she admired.

"I-I'm not being unusually hostile against her," she stammered, averting her gaze for a second. "I'm looking at both sides and giving you the perspectives that you need to hear. Baka may bias kayong dalawa sa kanya kasi lagi kayong nagko-communicate, 'di ba? Habang ako, may unbiased at detached point of view ako."

Sa kanya pa talaga galing 'yon? Kung may biased man sa aming tatlo, walang iba kundi siya. Had she already forgotten what happened on the night of the team building? How convenient, if that was the case.

As much as I wanted to bring up the past and counter the points she had raised, I chose to hold my tongue and keep quiet. Now was not the time to be in an argument with a fellow USC officer. She was not the enemy here. I would rather deal with the Fabienne problem then Val, than both problems at once.

"Hindi porke't ilang beses mo na siyang nakasama at nakausap, maniniwala ka na agad sa ipinakita niya at sinabi niya sa 'yo," pangaral ni Val sa president namin. "She's playing her role as the First Lady. Malamang inihiwalay niya ang totoo niyang persona ro'n sa ginagampanan niyang papel."

"I trust Fabienne completely," Priam said. Hearing him say something with so much conviction was rare. Kung sinabi niyang tiwala siya sa kanyang First Lady, ibig sabihi'y inobserbahan niya nang maigi at kinilatis niya ito nang mabuti.

Val's lips twisted into a frown, her eyes blinking repeatedly. No matter how hard she tried to spin the narrative, Priam would not look her way. Served her right.

"You trust her, but can the student body still trust her?" she asked. "Kung magpapatuloy ang pagkalat ng post, tsismis man o hindi, maaapektuhan ang perception sa kanya ng mga estudyante. Instead na gustuhin siya, baka kabaligtaran ang mangyari. If that happens, Fabienne may become a liability to us. You know very well that we cannot afford any liability in this team."

Alam ko na kung saan patungo ang punto niya. She did not have to say it outright, but it's fairly obvious what she was trying to imply. I could see right through her.

"She's not yet a liability to us." I shook my head, resting my chin on top of my hands. "And she may not become one if we do something about her."

Looking confused, Val squinted her eyes at me.

I helped myself stand using my cane. "The thing between Priam and Fabienne is still a rumor at this point. Wala pang confirmation sa kanilang relationship. Some students think that they're just dating and nothing's official yet. We can let her go at any time we want."

Tumingin ako kay Priam at pinagmasdan ang reaksyon niya. He was just staring at the glass wall, probably pondering some thoughts. Come on. Don't just sit there in silence. Let me know what you think.

"So . . ." Priam's gaze landed on me as he swivelled his chair. "We're going to dispose of her?"

"If worse comes to worst, yes." I gave him a slow nod. That was our last resort, our emergency brake. "Sa ngayon, hindi ko muna maire-recommend ang gano'ng course of action dahil masyado pang maaga at pwede pang masolusyunan ang problemang ito."

He swivelled his chair away slowly where he would not be facing anyone. "That doesn't sit well with me."

"She's just a piece on the chessboard that we can sacrifice if she will block our path to victory," I reminded him. "We can replace her and find you a new queen—only if worse comes to worst."

"We must do something for her." Priam turned to me and Val quickly. "You said we can still solve this problem, right? If we step in—"

"Priam," I cut his words short by drowning his voice with mine, "I have to advise against it. This is not our battle. It's Fabienne's. Siya lang ang nakaaalam sa katotohanan at nakakikilala sa sarili niya. As the supreme governing body, we must choose our battles carefully."

"I agree with Cas," Val seconded. I kind of expected her to jump in. "Ang issue ay tungkol kay Fabienne. Nabasa mo naman ang post, 'di ba? Hindi nabanggit ang pangalan mo at walang nabanggit na USC. Na-allude lang siya bilang rumored First Lady. Hindi tayo dapat makialam sa bagay na una sa lahat ay hindi tayo involved."

"If we drag ourselves into her mess, we could be targeted by her haters and critics," I added. "Your approval rating will take a hit again if they realize that you're siding with her. Don't get me wrong, Priam. I also trust her, but we must not get ourselves involved in an issue that doesn't concern us. We're dealing with people's perception here. Any wrong move will cost us dearly."

"So we're just gonna leave her out to dry?" he asked.

I nodded reluctantly. "It's her wound to suture, not ours. We may be able to do something to help her, but not publicly. We must work behind the scenes, not on the stage where she's being cheered and booed at the same time."

Muli na naman niyang iniharap palayo sa amin ang kanyang upuan. Natahimik kaming tatlo sa aquarium.

"Aren't you wondering kung sino ang posibleng nasa likod nito?" Val asked after a few seconds of silence. "Biglang pumutok ang tsismis na 'to ngayon kung kailan nakukuha na ni Fabienne ang atensyon ng mga estudyante dahil sa article ng The Herald sa kanya. They could have made this exposé when Mulan was still showing."

If we were going to talk about suspects, Val's name was definitely in my list. But I had strong doubts that it was her. Even if she lashed out on Fabienne last Saturday, she could not have enough time to plot it. The details on the post were too specific, only those who knew about our First Lady's stint as an actress would have first-hand knowledge about—if it were true. Masyadong limited ang alam ni Val tungkol kay Fabienne.

"Could it be Rey?" Val glanced at me sideways. "Siya mismo ang nagsabi na target niya ang USC, 'di ba? What if he's taking down Fabienne to indirectly hurt us? Pinaasa niya tayo ro'n sa article na isinulat niya 'tapos bigla niyang babawiin sa pamamagitan ng pagkakalat ng tsismis."

I shook my head. "If everything Reynard has done so far is part of his plan to bring us down, it's too premature for him to act. Kung ako ang nasa posisyon niya, maghihintay pa ako ng ilang araw o linggo bago kumilos. He won't pull a piece from a house of cards that only has two layers."

He also had The Herald at his disposal. While using the gossip account "What's The Tea?" to attack us was not out of the question, his offensive would have more credibility if he had employed the campus publication's trusted resources.

"How about Alaric?" Priam looked at me over his left shoulder. "He hinted to you that Fabienne could become a collateral damage, right? Perhaps he has decided to make a move."

Mabagal akong umiling. "Naisip ko rin na baka siya. He's my number one suspect. Kaso hindi ko ramdam ang presensya niya. This attack doesn't reek of him."

I stared at my left leg for a couple of seconds. There was no pain or any strange sensation—which was weird because every time Alaric the Prick was involved in our discussion, I would always feel something unsettling. But surprisingly, there was nothing.

"It might be someone who's jealous of Fabienne." Mabilis akong binalingan ng tingin ni Val na parang may sinabi akong nakaalarma sa kanya. No, I was not talking about her. But if the shoe fitted, she could wear it. "She got the lead role in Mulan and in Romeo and Juliet. Hindi na surprising kung may mainggit sa kanya at magpakalat ng tsismis."

"Good point," Priam agreed. "Someone's probably jealous of her getting all the attention—from landing the lead role to being the rumored First Lady."

"Sino kaya 'yon?" pailing-iling na bulong ni Val. "Pati tayo pwedeng madamay dahil sa inggit niya."

"At this point, it doesn't matter who's behind it," I said. "What we need to do is coordinate our response."

"Which is?"

"Say nothing." My gaze shifted from Val to Priam. "We must not publicly say anything in defense of, or against, Fabienne. Huwag na nating palalain ang sitwasyon sa pamamagitan ng pakikisawsaw sa isyu. Understood?"

"Understood," the VP replied.

I turned to our president. "Understood?"

He sucked in a deep breath. Ramdam ko ang pagdadalawang-isip sa hininga niya. "Understood."

"Good. I will inform Rowan to do the same. May tanong ba kayo? Kung wala na, pwede na tayong mag-adjourn."

Naunang lumabas ng conference room si Val, dumeretso sa kanyang cubicle para ilagay ang shoulder bag niya roon. She sounded concern about our problem, but I sensed that she was happy with the recent development. Well, she should not be.

Hinintay kong tumayo si Priam mula sa kanyang kinauupuan. Strangely, he stayed there for a while. Parang ayaw na niyang tumayo at bumalik sa kanyang cubicle.

"Mauna na ako sa ''yo," paalam ko sabay talikod sa kanya. "If you need me, you know where to find me."

"Do you think this is the right move?"

I was about to reach for the door when I came to a halt. Slowly, I turned in his direction. He did not budge in his seat. He darted me a sideway look. For a moment, our eyes locked as if we were in a staring contest.

"What's going on, Priam?" I asked, taking a step forward. He remained seated at one end of the long table while I stood at the other end. "Do you wanna do something for Fabienne? Why can't you just let things be and watch them unfold?"

"Fabienne is a good person," he answered, looking away. "You can't say with absolute certainty that we have nothing to do with her current dilemma. For all we know, this might be an offshoot of her involvement with us."

"You can't also say with absolute certainty that we have anything to do with her problem," I argued. "Gaya ng ini-raise kong possibility kanina, baka personal na isyu ang dahilan kaya may ipinapakalat na gano'ng tsismis tungkol sa kanya. Since we're not sure where this came from, it's best to err on the side of caution."

"You are my chief-of-staff," Priam reminded me kindly as if I had already forgotten. "Fabienne is unofficially part of my staff. You should protect her the same way you protect the rest of us."

"Must I really be the one to do the protecting?" I fired back. "We're not gonna abandon her. Yet. We're just gonna distance ourselves from her until the issue is over. That means your lunch and after-class dates are suspended until further notice."

Natahimik siya sa kanyang kinauupuan, nakatingin pa rin sa ibang direksyon ang mga mata. He could sometimes make himself unreadable to the point that I could not predict what he was thinking. But hey, I was merely the strategist here. Kung ayaw niya sa aking recommendation, kailangan niyang tumindig para sa desisyon niya. He's the president after all.

"If you have any better idea than the one I proposed, I'm all ears," I said before exiting the conference room. He remained in the aquarium, still in deep thought.

Bago ako bumalik sa aking puwesto, dumaan muna ako sa cubicle ni Sabrina. Her eyes were glued to the monitor as her fingers were flying all over the keyboard. She did not bother to shoot me a glance until I was just a meter away from her.

"There's something that I want you to do for me, Sab." I pulled a piece of paper from my chest pocket and placed it on her desk. Bumaba ang tingin niya sa kamay ko. "This is extremely confidential. You know what I mean."

Kinuha niya ang kapirasong papel at binasa ang nakasulat doon. I watched as her eyes moved from right to left. Once she was done reading, she raised her gaze at me.

"Got it."

"Let me know as soon as possible when you have the results."

I left her cubicle and went back to mine. Umupo ako sa aking swivel chair, ini-stretch ang kaliwang binti ko at inalis ang aking salamin. I squeezed my eyes shut and massaged my temple. The next few days would be grueling.

Sorry, Fabienne. This has to be done.

★ ★ ★

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Special thanks to raze_dali and imthecentralorgan for the illustrations!