7: A Toast to Control

Point of View: Beatrice

The dinner was winding down, the tables nearly empty, when a slurred voice cut through the low hum of conversation.  

“So, Beatrice,” one of the Morunaga cousins drawled, his tone soaked in liquor and brimming with misplaced confidence. “What’s a charming young woman like you doing with a recluse like this guy?”  

He leaned forward, his glass teetering precariously in his hand. I didn’t know his name—just that he was one of Ryuu’s cousins, loud and irritatingly hard to miss.  

I forced a pleasant smile, the kind sharp enough to draw blood.  

“Don’t you think your cousin is a fine match?” I said sweetly, letting my gaze linger on the cousin just long enough to make him squirm.  

Then, with deliberate slowness, I reached across the table, placing my hand over Ryuu’s. My voice took on a lilting tone, honeyed with mockery.  

“I prefer the company of men who know how to behave themselves.”  

The cousin’s glass froze halfway to his lips. Around the table, muffled laughter rippled, a few chuckles punctuated by clinking glasses.  

I glanced at Ryuu, expecting indifference or, at most, a flash of irritation. Instead, he smirked—and winked.  

The gesture nearly knocked the breath out of me. A flicker of heat crept up my neck, my carefully constructed mask almost slipping.  

The cousin mumbled something incoherent, retreating into his drink as others around the table took over the conversation. I withdrew my hand from Ryuu’s, turning my focus to my wineglass and pretending the moment hadn’t rattled me.  

At the head of the table, Gojou raised his glass, the subtle movement enough to shift the room’s energy. His silent nod in my direction felt heavy with approval, as though I’d passed some unspoken test.  

The acknowledgment made my stomach twist. Part of me hated how satisfying it felt to have done something right in their eyes. Another small victory, another layer of myself chipped away.  

Thankfully, the dinner ended without further incident. Guests began to drift toward the beach or back to their rooms, leaving me a rare moment to breathe.  

For tonight, I’d survived.  

***

Point of View: Ryuu

I didn’t have to hunt Nitta down. He came to me.  

The knock on my door was sharp but unnecessary. By the time I looked up, he was already stepping inside, leaning lazily against the doorframe like he owned the room.  

“What do you want?” I asked, unbuttoning my shirt. I didn’t bother hiding the irritation in my voice.  

“What was that at dinner?” he asked, feigning innocence as he strolled farther in.  

“You tell me,” I shot back, tossing the shirt onto the bed. “What did you say to Beatrice?”  

“Nothing important,” he replied with a shrug. “She was just curious about Mom. You stepped in before I could enlighten her.”  

“Fortunately,” I said dryly. The memory of their exchange flickered in my mind, needling at me in ways I didn’t care to examine.  

Nitta grinned, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “It’s hard to say no to her, you know. She’s quite... persuasive.”  

My hands stilled, the tension in my chest tightening like a coil. I turned to face him fully, my expression a warning.  

“Don’t blame my fiancée for your lack of self-control,” I said evenly. “And stop flirting with her.”  

His grin widened, clearly delighted by my reaction. “Worried, nii-chan? Afraid she’ll realize she prefers someone younger? Or are you jealous?”  

Jealous. The word hung in the air, its implication stirring something in me that I refused to name.  

“I trust you won’t cross the line,” I said, keeping my voice measured despite the irritation building beneath it. “What concerns me is you dragging her into your idiocy.”  

Nitta raised his hands in mock surrender, but the amusement never left his face.  

“You’re overthinking it. Beatrice is smarter than that.” His teasing tone softened, and his gaze shifted, losing some of its edge. “Honestly, she seems like a good match for you. Tough, independent... Someone who won’t roll over just because you say so.”  

His unexpected sincerity caught me off guard. For a moment, I couldn’t tell if he was mocking me or if he truly believed what he was saying.  

“Thanks for the pep talk,” I said dryly, clapping him on the shoulder with more force than necessary. “Now get out.”  

Nitta laughed, sauntering toward the door with the swagger of someone who’d gotten exactly what he wanted.  

“Can’t wait to tell Fukui how you’re getting possessive already,” he called over his shoulder.  

The door clicked shut behind him, but the tension he left behind lingered.  

I sank onto the edge of the bed, rubbing a hand over my face. It wasn’t jealousy—I was certain of that. It was the chaos Nitta brought with him, the way he could turn a simple conversation into a powder keg.  

And yet...  

Beatrice lingered in my thoughts, her sharp wit and steady gaze cutting through the noise like a blade.  

She was a complication I hadn’t planned for, and she was becoming impossible to ignore.