Castillian #1: Sinner's Formula

Scarlet Fuentabella had no idea.

As in zero. Nada. Zilch.

No idea that while she was comfortably curled up in bed, hugging the hoodie Mico lent her from last night's party (it smelled like shampoo and a hint of sweat—my God), the entire university was collectively losing its mind.

8:45 AM – Campus Online Confessions Feed

@campustea_spill

📸 SPOTTED: The Castillian Five + 1 👀

Is that Mico Esguerra holding hands with a girl?

Location: Last night's Castillian rooftop afterparty

#MicoWatch #WhoIsShe #CastillianCrush

Attached were three photos. Blurry, candid, but unmistakably clear who the main characters were.

Photo 1:

Mico and Scarlet, holding hands in front of a parked SUV. Uno, Jairo, Felix, and Lynx in front of them, looking like bodyguards.

Photo 2:

Mico's arm casually wrapped around Scarlet's shoulder while they sat on a plush black sofa. Scarlet was clearly giggling. Mico? Smiling. Smiling. (People lost their damn minds.)

Photo 3:

Mico helping Scarlet into his car. One hand on her waist, the other opening the door. Scarlet looked clearly tipsy, but grinning like she'd just won the lottery.

10:23 AM – Engineering Department

Scarlet walked down the hallway humming.

She carried her modules, a strawberry milk in one hand, and her hair in pigtails. Like nothing happened. Like she wasn't the current headline of the university's digital gossip mill.

"Scarlet…"

"That's her…"

"GIRL. Are you really the one in the photo with Mico???"

Scarlet blinked. "Huh? What photo?"

Liza came running. "OMG. YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT???"

Kathryn grabbed her phone, pulled up the post, and shoved it into Scarlet's face.

Scarlet squinted. "Oh… what's this?"

"'OH, WHAT'S THIS?' GIRL!" Liza shrieked.

Scarlet took the phone. Zoomed in. Zoomed out. Looked around. Looked back at the phone.

"Oh," she said. "We actually look cute in that photo."

"SCARLET!"

Scarlet sat down with her tray. Hotdog, rice, and egg. She was just happy. Still not grasping how big the viral photos had become.

Liza: "Girl, someone asked me if you used love potion on Mico."

Scarlet: "Huh? Why would I do that? He kissed me willingly."

Kathryn spits out her water.

---

Scarlet Fuentabella was nervous.

Not because of a quiz. Not because she forgot her calculator again. Not even because she accidentally called her professor "dad" instead of "sir." (Which did happen.)

No.

She was nervous because someone—a real journalism student from the university paper—had asked if they could interview her.

"Just a quick feature," the girl said in her message. "We're doing a piece on students with unique stories. We got curious about you and Mico Cein Esguerra."

Scarlet's exact response?

"Ahh… okay! Sure, Ate. But my answers might be boring hehe 😅"

Oh, how wrong she was.

1:15 PM – Student Council Room

That's where the so-called "interview" was held. Supposedly casual, light, chill.

But when Scarlet entered, there were already three journalism majors seated. They had a recorder, notepads, and… expressionless faces. Nothing about this screamed "casual."

"Oh, there's a lot of you," Scarlet said, trying to smile.

"Formality only," said one. "We just want to hear your side."

"My side of… what exactly?"

"Your relationship with Mico."

"Oh, there's nothing really—"

"But there are photos, right?" the girl on the left cut her off.

Scarlet shifted in her seat. "Uhm… yeah. He's my tutor."

One of the guys on the side chuckled. Not a nice laugh. More like a patronizing one.

"Come on, Scarlet. We've seen the way he looks at you. That's not how a tutor looks at a student."

"Uhh… but—"

"We just want to know…" the interviewer's tone sharpened.

"What did you do to make Mico Esguerra choose you?"

Scarlet froze. "Excuse me?"

"What makes you different?"

"What do you have that others don't?"

Scarlet blinked.

That's when it hit her. This wasn't an interview. It was a cross-examination.

"Uhm… sorry, I thought this was just a feature?"

"Exactly. You're the feature now. Out of all the girls in the university—why you?"

Scarlet bit her lip. She stood up—not dramatically, but clearly confused, flustered, and on the verge of panic.

"I'm sorry, but this is getting a bit uncomfortable…" She turned to leave.

"You don't think you owe people an explanation?" Someone called after her.

"You're a public figure now, whether you like it or not."

She paused slightly, one hand on the doorknob. And smiled.

A very, very Scarlet Fuentabella™ smile. "Sorry again… but I didn't take a subject called 'Public Explanation 101.'"

Then she walked out.

Trembling? Yes. Confused? Absolutely. Still clueless? Of course.

But proud? Oh, hell yes.

Mico: "What did they say to you?"

Scarlet: "Nothing much, baby. They said it was just an interview… but it didn't feel like it was really about me. It felt like… they were questioning why me."

Mico gave a deep sigh, "Next time, tell me right away. I don't want you going through that alone."

Scarlet: "I handled it just fine!"

Mico: "You did. But that doesn't mean you have to handle it alone."

Then he leaned in and kissed her temple. "Next time someone asks why it's you," he whispered, "just tell them, 'Because I'm the one he chose.' That's all they need to know."

Scarlet smiled, leaning into him. "…but baby, really? It's just me?"

"Scarlet Fuentabella." He lifted her chin gently. "Do you think I'd get a tutor if it weren't?"

Scarlet blushed. "…okay noted."