Chapter 106: Prison In Disguise

Nikolai watched with a storm brewing behind his eyes as Starlight took a seat at the far end of the velvet sofa, keeping a careful distance from both brothers. Straightening her posture, she rested her hands on her knees, looking completely composed. A faint smirk touched Mikhail’s lips.

He could tell Nikolai was boiling with silent fury, especially with Starlight putting on such a dutiful, quiet act for him. Still, he hadn’t known she had a theatrical side to her, a facet he found surprisingly cute.

Mikhail picked up a tablet from the coffee table, tapping the illuminated screen a few times before pulling up a document. "Starlight, you already know why you’re here," he said. "But before we begin, you need to read what is expected of you during this program. These are the rules, requirements, and standards you’ll be expected to follow from this point forward." he said, extended the tablet toward her. "Read it."

Starlight reached out and took the tablet from Mikhail, settling it against her lap as she lowered her gaze to the illuminated screen. She expected a few simple rules, perhaps a list of behaviors she was supposed to correct during the session. Instead, the document that opened before her seemed to have been written by someone with far too much time on their hands, her brows pulling together as her eyes began to skim the dense blocks of text, neatly formatted like an official government document.

CORRECTIVE CONDUCT & BEHAVIORAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM

Issued under the Direct Authority of the Office of the Dean and Headmistress of Asterion Academy.

Subject: Starlight Dawson

Supervisors: Imperial Princes Mikhail and Nikolai Wolfhart

Duration: Until formally dismissed by the supervising Imperial Alpha Twins

SECTION I: GENERAL DEMEANOR AND CODE OF RESPECT

1. Mandatory Deference to Supervision: The subject, Starlight Dawson, shall maintain an unwavering standard of respect, obedience, and decorum in the presence of the assigned Supervisors, Prince Nikolai and Prince Mikhail, for the entire duration of the corrective conduct program.

2. Proper Form of Address: The subject, Starlight Dawson, shall address her Supervisors exclusively using their formal titles ("Prince Nikolai," "Prince Mikhail," or "Your Highness") at all times, without exception, sarcasm, disrespectful descriptions, or deliberately provocative forms of address.

3. Control of Tone and Temperament: Raising one’s voice, clicking one’s tongue, rolling one’s eyes, scowling, or utilizing passive-aggressive subtext toward the Supervisors is strictly prohibited. The subject, Starlight Dawson, shall remain aware of her position and shall conduct herself accordingly. Any deliberate violation of this standard shall be considered misconduct.

4. Acceptance of Disciplinary Feedback: The subject, Starlight Dawson, shall accept all structural critiques, behavioral corrections, and performance evaluations without offering counterarguments, excuses, or verbal retaliation.

5. Conflict Avoidance and Verbal De-escalation: The subject, Starlight Dawson, must attempt at least three distinct verbal de-escalation tactics prior to engaging in any vocal disagreement with her Supervisors. Physical retaliation of any kind is explicitly forbidden, regardless of provocation.

SECTION II: PERSONAL AVAILABILITY AND SUPERVISORY ACCESS

1. Session Attendance and Punctuality: The subject must arrive precisely five minutes prior to every scheduled session. Unexcused tardiness will result in an immediate deduction of daily Apex voting points.

2. Extended Supervisory Hours: To ensure thorough behavioral adjustment, the subject shall remain in the company of the Imperial Supervisors for the full duration of every designated session until formally dismissed.

3. Off-Schedule Availability: Should the Imperial Supervisors deem it necessary for her behavioral progress, the subject must make herself available for private consultations and administrative reviews outside standard session hours, regardless of her personal schedule.

Starlight’s eyes caught on Section II, Item 3, and her mouth twitched. A small, incredulous scoff nearly escaped her lips. Off-schedule availability whenever they feel like it? This isn’t a behavioral program. This is just a legal permit for them to summon me whenever they want.

SECTION III: PHYSICAL INTEGRITY AND RESTRAINT

1. Prohibition of Hostile Contact: The subject shall not physically engage, strike, push, or threaten any student, staff member, or royal peer under any circumstances, unless her Supervisor gives her the go-ahead.

2. Personal Space and Compliance: The subject must remain stationary and compliant during physical assessments and behavioral evaluations conducted by the Imperial Supervisors, unless otherwise instructed by the supervising Princes.

3. Public Representation: In all public areas of the academy, including common corridors and training areas, the subject must act in a manner that reflects favorably on her status as a student of Asterion Academy under the guidance of the Imperial Princes.

FINAL NOTICE OF VIOLATION:

If you violate any of the rules or requirements listed above, the session will be extended by the Imperial Princes, and additional punishment may be administered at their discretion, including further corrective measures as deemed necessary.

Starlight stared at the final line, her breathing shallow as her chest tightened with pure, unadulterated irritation. She slowly lifted her head, her gaze locking directly onto Mikhail with a look of absolute disbelief.

"What the fuck is this?" she demanded, gesturing wildly at the tablet screen. "What atom of absolute nonsense did I just read?!"

Mikhail sat back on the leather cushions, a small, subtle tremor threatening to touch the corners of his mouth as he fought to suppress the amusement that threatened to break through his composed exterior. When drafting the document with Nikolai, he had fully anticipated this exact explosive reaction from her, but witnessing her fiery green eyes flare up in real time made the entire setup infinitely more entertaining. He leaned forward in his chair, resting his forearms on his knees as he watched her with barely concealed amusement.

"Calm down, Starlight," Mikhail said, his voice calm and measured. "This is for your own good. We drafted this document so that you can—" Before he could finish, Starlight flung the tablet onto the glass coffee table between them. The device landed with a harsh, sharp clatter, sliding across the polished surface before coming to a stop right against Mikhail’s glass of ice water.

"What do you mean it’s for my own good?!" she demanded, staring at him incredulously. Her hands flew outward as her frustration boiled over. "The person who needs this whole ridiculous program more than anyone else in this academy is this — this crooked-eyed, terrifying-looking brother of yours! Prince Nikolai! He is the one who needs behavioral adjustment more than I do! So why are you doing this to me? For all I care, this whole thing is literally a prison sentence. You’re just trying to take over my time, control what I do, and keep me under your thumb!"

She threw her hands up helplessly, words tumbling out faster than she could organize them. "Fuck! You guys are trying to turn every second of my life into some stupid supervised session, and now I’m supposed to ask permission before I even breathe? What’s next? Are you going to write down how many times I’m allowed to blink?"

Nikolai’s eyes narrowed with every word that left her mouth, his posture going terrifyingly still. "Who the fuck are you calling crooked-eyed?"

"You, of course!" Starlight shot back without an ounce of hesitation, glaring right into his blue eyes. "Are you not crooked-eyed? If you don’t have crooked eyes, then why are you looking at me like you want to strangle me right now?" She narrowed her eyes at him, immediately mimicking his expression with an exaggerated glare. "You’ve been glaring at me like a psycho planning my execution."

Mikhail leaned back against the cushions, a soft, amused hum leaving his throat as his eyes glinted with quiet satisfaction. "Well, I can see that we are bonding perfectly fine. I really like the progress so far."

Starlight whipped her head toward Mikhail, her mouth opening in complete disbelief. "What the fuck, man? What do you mean we are bonding? Are you sick or something?!"

"Don’t ever talk to my brother like that," Nikolai snapped, his voice dropping into a harsh, warning register. His blue eyes narrowed dangerously as he fixed Starlight with a cold stare. "You might have gotten away with insulting me, but don’t make the mistake of thinking you can speak to my brother however you please."

"And what are you going to do if I do?" Starlight scoffed. "Are you two going to kill me or something? Or are you your brother’s bodyguard now?"

"Starlight, stop it," Mikhail chided gently, though his tone carried an underlying edge of warning. "That is not the way to talk to your Supervisors. Have you already forgotten Section One, Item Three: Control of Tone and Temperament, written in the document?"

He tapped his finger casually against the armrest, reciting the line from memory. "Raising one’s voice, clicking one’s tongue, rolling one’s eyes, scowling, or utilizing passive-aggressive subtext toward the Supervisors is strictly prohibited. The subject, Starlight Dawson, shall remain aware of her position and shall conduct herself accordingly. Any deliberate violation of this standard shall be considered misconduct." He paused, his lips twitching slightly as he looked at her. "Refrain from using such a disrespectful tone with us, unless you want us to implement a punishment you would not like."

Starlight’s mouth fell open, and she let out a long, exasperated gasp, her eyes darting between the two brothers as she struggled to comprehend the sheer absurdity of her situation. "Oh my God," she groaned, dragging a hand down her face.

Her blood was boiling now, and the realization that the two brothers had apparently planned every detail only made her frustration worse.

"I know you two actually wrote those rules yourselves specifically to torture me."

Mikhail did not bother denying it.