True Love, Wrong Revenge

Later, I knelt before the king, my fingers trembling. He sneered and said, "Christopher, your father-in-law's act of killing your brother hasn't eased my suspicions. I was curious to see how he would handle this situation."

"To my surprise, your father-in-law showed genuine loyalty, willing to sacrifice his own honor to save your life and let you mature."

I swallowed the blood in my mouth, remembering how Maria had called me to the study to clear up the misunderstanding. She said we needed to be honest with each other. When I arrived, I heard my father-in-law admit that he had betrayed me to gain power.

I pounded on the door frame of the study until it splintered, consumed by rage. I didn't even notice Maria's shocked and tearful state. In front of them both, I made a harsh vow, "Master Garcia, you've crossed the line. If you leave me alive, I'll rise to power over the Garcia family's corpses. Neither you nor Maria will escape."

With that, I stormed out. From then on, Maria didn't speak a word to me. Every night, I went to her room, grappling with the urge to strangle her, but my resolve faltered at the last moment.

Every time I looked at her, I remembered my mother's promise: "When Maria grows up, let Christopher marry her as a son-in-law." As a child, I had always bullied Maria, making her cry and shouting, "Maria, I don't want to be a son-in-law. If there's to be marriage, you should move to the Garcia family. Only then would I reluctantly accept."

The Garcia and Thompson families had been military families, brought together by battle. Maria's mother had died protecting my own mother. My mother always felt guilty towards Maria, thinking she was so unfortunate, losing her mother at such a young age.

In the end, I couldn't escape the consequences of my actions. My brother had often warned me to treat Maria better.

But what have I done?