Chapter 133: Turning The Tables

Starlight was beginning to think she had underestimated how easily the situation could work in her favor. This was going far more smoothly than she had intended, and if she had known that all it would take was a little acting to get the Elite Circle interested in her predicament, she would have considered this approach much sooner. She had expected resistance, perhaps even a few heated arguments before anyone would be willing to question the Crown Twins’ actions. Instead, Sera had practically handed her the perfect opportunity to expose the ridiculous corrective conduct program, and the princes looked increasingly uncomfortable with every passing second.

Not that Starlight intended to let her advantage go to waste.

With her fingers still nervously twisting the fabric of her gown, Starlight lowered her gaze and began explaining how the whole mess had started. She told them about her confrontation with Beatrice, who had bullied Elle before Starlight stepped in to defend her friend. She then explained her encounter with Sera, admitting that she had reacted aggressively when Sera unexpectedly touched her.

"I’m sorry for smashing that tray on you, Princess Sera," she said, turning toward her. "You caught me off guard, and I don’t like being touched unexpectedly. I know I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did, and I’m really sorry. But I never imagined that the misunderstanding would lead to Prince Nikolai reporting the incident to the headmistress, and somehow, that minor disagreement has resulted in me being assigned to this corrective conduct program."

She paused nervously, glancing toward the Crown Twins before continuing. "They told me this program was designed for students who were stubborn, troublesome, or unwilling to follow the academy’s rules. Apparently, students who refuse to behave themselves need to undergo special supervision until they learn to correct their attitudes. But I don’t understand why I have to participate in something like that simply because I defended my friend and had a disagreement with Princess Sera. I wasn’t trying to cause trouble. I was only defending myself and someone I care about."

As Starlight spoke, the expressions around the gathering gradually changed. Several members of the Elite Circle who had been pretending not to listen exchanged bewildered glances, while others turned toward the Crown Twins as though expecting them to deny everything she had just said. The more they listened, the less sense the situation made.

Since when had Asterion Academy introduced a program that allowed its princes to decide which students needed correcting? And why had nobody heard of such a thing before?

Even those who disliked Starlight struggled to understand the logic behind the arrangement.

Kage frowned, It wasn’t that he particularly liked the Starlight. If anything, her confrontational attitude was far too much for his liking. She challenged people without hesitation, refused to back down even when faced with someone stronger than herself, and seemed to have an extraordinary talent for getting into trouble. However, disliking her behavior did not mean he agreed with the Crown Twins’ decision.

Had the academy really established such a program, or had the imperial princes simply invented it to deal with a human girl who had refused to submit to them?

Judging by the bewilderment written across the faces around him, he wasn’t the only one asking that question.

Sera, however, could hardly believe what she was hearing. She stared at Starlight for a moment before slowly turning her attention toward Mikhail and Nikolai. Had the Imperial Princes actually invented an entire program simply to gain the upper hand over one human girl? She had known that the twins could be unreasonable when they wanted something, but this was an entirely different level of absurdity.

And to think that the headmistress had apparently agreed to participate in this nonsense!

Sera’s fingers tightened around the edge of the sofa as indignation rose within her. Being imperial princes did not give Mikhail and Nikolai the right to invent whatever rules they pleased whenever someone offended them. If the academy genuinely needed a corrective program, there were plenty of students whose behavior warranted proper supervision. There were responsible ways to handle misconduct, and the academy already had people whose jobs involved maintaining discipline. Starlight, however, was a human girl who had defended her friend and reacted badly when someone touched her unexpectedly. That hardly justified forcing her into an arrangement that gave the Crown Twins so much control over her life.

Sera had no intention of pretending otherwise.

Her gaze hardened as she looked at the twins, silently questioning whether they had any idea how ridiculous their actions appeared to everyone present. She had offered to help Starlight, and now that she understood the situation better, she was even more determined to stand by her. Whatever the princes had intended to achieve, they had made a serious mistake by allowing the matter to become public knowledge.

Across the seating area, Okami’s expression darkened. A low growl rumbled in his chest as he stared at the Crown Twins, his displeasure no longer something he cared to conceal. If they hadn’t been the imperial heirs, he might already have launched himself at them. The thought of Starlight being forced to spend time under their supervision, with no real choice in the matter, was enough to make his blood boil. He had been cracking his head on how to earn her trust, only for the princes to use their authority to keep her close to them.

He hated it.

Mikhail slowly turned his attention toward Okami, his expression becoming dangerously cold. He had tolerated the other Alpha’s growing familiarity with Starlight for long enough. At first, Okami’s interest had been little more than an irritating distraction, something Mikhail had assumed would disappear once the novelty of the human girl wore off. Yet Okami had continued hovering around her, offering protection and taking every opportunity to earn her attention. Now, he was openly growling at the Crown Twins in her defense.

Mikhail had reached his limit.

The pressure of his presence rolled across the seating area, directed squarely at Okami. Although the werewolves no longer possessed their wolves, that did not mean they had lost everything that made them dangerous. Their strength, their authority, and the overwhelming dominance they had cultivated since birth remained. The absence of their wolves had not stripped them of their ability to exert pressure on those around them, and Mikhail was more than willing to remind Okami of that fact.

Okami’s growl faltered. His shoulders stiffened as the pressure bore down on him, forcing a small, involuntary whimper from his throat before he could stop himself. His instincts screamed at him to resist, but his body recognized the threat even without his wolf. For one humiliating moment, the Alpha who had been so eager to defend Starlight found himself struggling beneath the Crown Prince’s overwhelming dominance.