Francisco sat in front of Catalina, watching her sleep peacefully. A smile touched his lips as he brushed a strand of hair from her face. The gentle touch made her stir, and she opened her groggy eyes. For a moment she looked dazed—then she suddenly threw her arms around him.
"You idiot! Why do you have to be so reckless? Why risk so much—are you sick in the head?" she cried. "You should have waited until tomorrow, or let your father handle everything. Do you know how scared I was, seeing him return wounded? I imagined the worst. And Isabella—the poor girl. She not only saw her father injured, but her brother didn't return with him. If Carlos hadn't calmed her down and told her everything was fine, she would have cried herself to death!"
She pulled away from the hug only to start punching him, her face flushed with frustration.
"Ouch! Ouch! Okay, okay! I'm sorry! I know I hurt you—I was wrong. I just… I was excited at the thought of seeing a puma. I'm sorry." Francisco lowered his head. Maybe the butler was right. He was still just a kid.
With tears brimming in her eyes, Catalina finally stopped hitting him. "Promise me you'll never do something so reckless again," she demanded, her voice trembling with anger and fear.
Francisco saw how serious she was. If he dared to say no, she might never speak to him again—or worse. He hesitated, then said softly, "I cannot promise I'll never be reckless again. But I do promise I won't do it if I have other choices."
"What do you mean?" she asked, frowning at his strange choice of words.
"I mean… I can't promise I'll never take risks. The world isn't peaceful now, and it may become even less so in the years ahead. But I will try to avoid the most reckless path if I have another option. Today I learned that choices carry consequences. I almost lost my father—and froze when I saw the puma attack him. It's funny… I always thought that if I faced danger, I would act swiftly, like the adventurers in the stories, shooting the beast cleanly and becoming a hero. But in reality, I nearly let him die."
Francisco gave a bitter laugh.
Catalina, seeing the guilt in his expression, tried to cheer him. "Well… at least everyone is safe. Nothing truly terrible happened."
"That's only because Father protected me," Francisco said with a weary smile. "I thought that with my knowledge I could protect the family, make us strong. But today I learned I still need protecting—not just from threats like the puma, but from myself."
Catalina hugged him tightly, as though comforting a child. In her heart she thought: I need to grow too. If I had insisted on bringing Francisco back, none of this would have happened. I'm starting to put blind faith in him, but he can make mistakes. My role is to stop him before he does. She clung to him, afraid he might slip away again.
Neither of them noticed that Grandma Maria and Carlos were watching from the shadows.
"It seems separating them will be harder than I thought," murmured Grandma Maria.
"Why separate them?" Carlos replied seriously. "If not for the issue of bloodlines, I would be thrilled. I know you raised your granddaughter well. She's loyal and strong, and she will support Francisco when he needs it."
"That may be true, but the bloodline is important. I fear what could happen to their child if Francisco dies," Maria sighed, her expression conflicted.
"For now, we can't change it," Carlos said firmly. "But if Francisco strengthens the family, makes them loyal enough, not even the viceroy would dare speak against a mestizo heir. And I suspect Catalina is half the reason he wants to grow stronger. That actually makes me happy."
"You really think he can accomplish it?" Maria asked doubtfully.
"I don't know. But it's not our fight. Our duty is to prepare them for the challenges ahead," Carlos said with a faint smile. The two retreated to their rooms, leaving the young pair alone in the living room.
After some time, Francisco and Catalina finally loosened their embrace. Then, from the other sofa, a timid little voice broke the silence.
"Can I stop pretending to be asleep now?"
Francisco and Catalina froze.
"You… were awake this whole time?" Francisco asked incredulously.
"Only from when you touched Sister Catalina's face," Isabella admitted.
"That's the whole time!" Francisco exclaimed. Catalina blushed furiously and smacked his arm as if to say this is your fault.
Francisco only shrugged. "So, now you're not just a pirate but a spy as well? Do you know what we do to little spies?" he asked with a devilish grin.
"No! Wait, Brother—I'm not a spy!" Isabella said nervously, backing away.
"That's exactly what a spy would say," Francisco replied, stepping closer.
"Sister Catalina, help me!" Isabella pleaded.
Catalina's heart softened at her pitiful face. But then she remembered this little spy had witnessed their private moment. Her smile turned playful. "Wait, Francisco. You can't torture Isabella…" she said sweetly—then lunged forward to catch the girl.
Isabella, relieved at first, darted behind Catalina and smirked at her brother. "See? Sister Catalina is on my side!"
Her pride didn't last long. Catalina's final words were: "At least not without me."
With that, she seized Isabella and began tickling her. Francisco joined in.
"You traitor!" Isabella squealed between helpless laughter. "I surrender! I surrender!"
Finally, they stopped and collapsed onto the sofa, catching their breath. Francisco hugged his little sister suddenly and whispered, "Thank you for waiting for me—and I'm sorry I made you worry."
"Don't worry, Brother," Isabella said with a grin. "You're talking to the Serpent of the Caribbean—the baddest pirate in the world!"
Francisco ruffled her hair mercilessly. "That's right. My little pirate sister is the best."
She struggled but gave up, resigned to his rough affection.
At last, Francisco stood. "It's time to sleep. Tomorrow will be a hard day. I'll walk you to your rooms."
He escorted Catalina and Isabella upstairs. After tucking Isabella into bed, he kissed her forehead and left quietly with Catalina. At her door, he hugged her. "Thank you for everything," he murmured.
She returned the embrace. Then, blushing, she looked at him with sudden determination—kissed him quickly on the lips—and darted into her room like a rabbit fleeing a hunter.
Francisco stood frozen in the hallway. Slowly, a smile spread across his face."Sooner or later, I'll ask for compensation for that," he muttered to himself as he made his way to his own room.
That night, thanks to Catalina's kiss, he slept soundly—without nightmares.