Catalina was cooking with grandma Maria the lunch was close, and as her granddaughter she usually helped to learn how to do household chores most servants actually didn't have much choices for the future or following their parents going to church or join the militias women were in a worst situation or they married a good family or followed their parents steps as servants so considering the good treat the Gomez family gave her grandma was trying to make her a good servant so she could continue follow the family
Francisco went to the kitchen looking for Catalina 'catalina' Francisco called after going in he smiled and was in a dumb state clearly Catalina and Francisco develop feelings for each other clearly it wasn't only because they were raised up together francisco was raised with a lot of servant children his father being a liberal didn't like all of those formalities of bloodline and having spender most of his life in Bogota seeing all those scions who didn't treat servants as humans was extremely disgusted with the raise method of them so to stop Francisco from becoming like them he raised them together letting the kids play with Francisco and even teaching some basic knowledge to them, like mathematics filósofy teology etc his plan has always been creating a connection between the servants and Francisco to create a group of loyal servants that are able to help him in case something happens to him and by treating them with care they would grow to understand that only if the Gomez house stand they can obtain dignity if tomorrow the house falls most of them are going to end in the streets or with worse houses, of course he didn't told them directly but influenced their parents to tell them with time about that situation, after all most of them were kids, and sooner or later they would see the different treatment between the Gomez house and most high class houses in Colombia, the reason why Francisco ended up falling for Catalina was her personality she having the blood of the Pijao was a Valiant girl when Francisco was bullied by other kids in Bogota she was the first one to stand in front of him and punching or kicking those scions, after all even if his father worked for the crown he was still just a merchant some scions were sons of nobles or elites in the viceroyalty government so of course not all scions were amicable, so being defended by her even if it was bad looking at the time or humilliating for most men even for Francisco a little he felt save with her, of course Catalina also was nalgeada by grandma Maria every time that happen and even his father Carlos wasn't able to stop her, so he always respected her as a big sister after that Carlos teaches Francisco the Spanish esgrima of course he also teached him how to fight in Spain there wasn't any kind of martial arts of anything of the kind it was more a fist fight without rules if you could punch someone punch him if you can kick him kick him, so no rules but people still could practice fighting with adults, his love actually really evolved when they were 13 two years back Carlos took them to the province of mariquita (today Tolima) yo ibague for business it was a travel of eight to twelve days, during the travel they were attacked for bandits and the group ended up being separated, Catalina and Francisco were able to hide and survive for eight days of course at the time Francisco wasn't as weak as when he was a kid so he took the initiative to hunt and look for a river during that time they spend time together they were able to develop feelings and the feelings grew stronger in the five day when a snake bited Francisco it was a coral snake they had a pretty hurfull poison the affected the nervous system, after the bite Francisco was able to kill the snake with his machete but the poison put him in the floor, lucky enough Catalina already has some knowledge about inginous medicine so she went looking for some herbs that helped him but for 2 days straight he was fatal, he has respiratory problems caused by the venom he couldn't feel his body and he almost died for falta of oxígen, at the time who knows what she was thinking but she gave him oxígen with her mouth, that was considered and extremely revolutionary treatment at the time only some people in Europe practiced the mouth a mouth but she did it, when asked she say innocently, that she trough he didn't have air so she tried to give some to him, lucky enough his father and the servants found him and Catalina they took him to Ibagué at the fastest speed possible in the end he survived but he never forgot who was the one saving him during those days so he sweared to marry her, that's why when his father accepted sending him to Germany he trough of Her, he didn't want her to live a life as a servant or a household wife and he knew she has more ambitions she wanted to make a name for herself, Francisco having those memories of the future knew that she was born in a wrong time If she was born in the future she may be a famous scholar a doctor or even a president, sadly the world wasn't fair with her it gave her extreme intelligence but send her to world were people didn't accept it, but Francisco is against those arrengments he doesn't know how much is he going to be able to help her but he is going to try the best for her, he knows that she definetly isn't going to be accepted as a student but if he takes her as an assistant she can enter the classes with him and learn the same knowledge it doesn't matter really if she has or not a title if she is able to master the knowledge once they both came back she could well become the first scientist of south America or even America itself
'Ujum' coughed grandma Maria seeing them being in their own world, she was worried by this situation, leaving aside if Carlos can accept it or not, the risk of both of them marrying is too high she didn't want the house Gomez to fall for his daughter fault, but she couldn't find a reason to stop them
Francisco awoke with the cough of grandma Maria 'sorry grandma Maria, can I take Catalina with me for a moment' asked with a pleaded look in her face Francisco
with a conflicted look in her face looking at the two kids looking her with a pleading expression her hearth softened 'sigh go go, don't mess here anymore I finish lunch alone but be carefull remember what we talked about Catalina' says grandma Maria with a serious look in her face
'yes grandma' Catalina lowered her face
Francisco took Catalina outside the state and went walking around the cultivos while talked
'i talked with my father about going to university in Germany in Göttingen ' says Francisco with a neutral expression wanting to tease the little girl
'oh' Catalina lowered his head 'i wish good luck' said with a temblorosa voice while trying to hide his tears
Francisco seeing that his teasing failed 'wait sorry sorry I only wanted to tease you a little I didn't want to hurt you I asked father if you could come with me you may not be able to go as a student but as my personal assistant you may be able to enter the class and learn knowledge with me' Francisco says fast trying to calm Catalina his hearth ache when he see her dad's
'really' says Catalina with a low voice
'thats right, I know you want to do more and I know is going to be hard but I do whatever a can to help you, but promise me don't cry anymore' say Francisco with a scared look in his face
'why ?' asked Catalina with a low voice but this time it she has a playfull face
'because you are too important to me you know how I feel' tried to explain Francisco
'i don't know can you tell me' this time she looked at his face while he a little nervous tried to explain
'because I love...' then Francisco notes something and look at Catalina face 'you...'
'me what ?'asked Catalina maintaining that teasing look in her face and smiling playfull to Francisco
Before Francisco could say more someone interrupted them
'cough cough young master little Catalina Grandma Maria send me to tell you the lunch is ready' says the servant looking around like he just didn't saw what happened
'thats for teasing me' say Catalina playfully then kiss his cheeks and runs to the estate
Francisco froze looking at the little girl that teased him and was speechless
'cough young master' say the servant ackwardly
'you didn't see anything' say Francisco while looking at his servant
'this servant didn't saw anything' say the servant seriously
after looking at the servant that was clearly lying for a couple of minutes 'sigh were went the respect of the servants to their master'
The servant chuckled while trying to suppress his smile
'lets go let's go is time to lunch'