Sakuramoria

- You're right about that, - the queen nods. - The gifts to the victims, both directly and indirectly, are nothing more than the crown's attempt to make amends to the students and the country for its mistakes at NAILS. Of course, someone might say that, given the circumstances of a magical absolute monarchy, it shouldn't do so, and the people should simply accept whatever it does, but I find that unfair and unhealthy, capable of sowing completely unnecessary seeds of discord between the working class and the ruling class, especially in such an unprecedented situation. Don't you think? I'm speaking as someone of humble origins - one of my defining advantages.
Futa smiled easily, and then, in response to Caladium's vague gaze, sighed and continued:
- I really don't want to rehash the same thing for the tenth time, but I guess I have to... Our school was founded with the stated purpose of nurturing a new generation of talented young people who would help Sakuramor help reach a new level of prosperity and build a bright future with their own hands, or something like that, as they said at the opening ceremony. To that end, they hired very qualified teachers and appointed your daughter, a woman of many talents, to a leadership position. But that's just what was announced to the public. In reality, all of us, unknowingly, became subjects of technomagical experiments. Experiments that no one would voluntarily agree to. A bunch of weak and vulnerable individuals... Rats in a maze.
She cast an icy glance at the old man before continuing.
- All of this was planned and sanctioned by the crown, with Imas as the theorist and executor. Unfortunately for her - and fortunately for us - she was killed. By this very blade, - the queen raised the hilt of the school katana to the light. - Duncan Mandragora closed the investigation and gave us no answers, although there were many questions. At the time, it seemed strange, but we had no choice but to accept that outcome. But over time, of course, everything fell into place. A couple of months later, there were elections for the post of school president, and I also ran as a candidate. Duncan Mandragora counted the votes and gave me a clearly fabricated victory with a mocking lead over all the other candidates. After that, he staged a sadistic ceremony in which he forced my classmates to kiss my loafers and swear allegiance under threat of death. He shot one of the dissenting students. He almost chopped another one with a sword and threatened to deal with several others. He justified all this by the will of the crown. It was for this that he was later fired. That butcher has no place in a school, but in a penal colony. Fortunately, the King's people eventually realized that something was wrong and took responsibility for resolving the situation. And then he himself appeared, making me happy with the revelation that he had taken me as his wife. And we all lived happily ever after... - glancing at Levisia, Futa decided to skip the subsequent unpleasant part of the story, which involved her. - ...until you two staged another bloodbath at the school. I had almost managed to smooth over the previous situation. Several sunny months had passed, and the students had begun to make new memories. But you stirred up this sore and poked it with a calloused finger, - Futa looked at Caladium with a frown. - The crown has already damaged its own reputation, and the school's reputation, to a great extent. Do you realize how much more fuel you've added to the fire? Of course, the only way to save face for the crown, and the school itself, was to offer a bribe. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to keep the students there, let alone the uproar from the plebs when they read about it in the newspaper.
Having finished her story, she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her "son".
- Now, tell me, how do you and Rhododendron intend to take responsibility for what you've done?