Chapter 175: Chapter 175

It was a warm July Saturday night when the Morcerf family threw their grand ball. By ten o’clock, the mansion’s garden trees stood dark against a sky full of stars, the last clouds from an earlier storm finally clearing away. Music drifted from the ground floor, waltzes and lively dances, while light blazed through the shutters. Outside, about ten servants bustled around the garden, preparing for dinner under their mistress’s orders.

The weather had been uncertain all day, and no one knew whether dinner should be served indoors or outside on the lawn. But now, with the beautiful starlit sky overhead, the decision was made. They’d eat outside. Colored lanterns hung throughout the gardens in festive style, and the long dining table glittered with candles and elaborate flower arrangements.

When Countess Morcerf returned inside after giving her final instructions, guests were already arriving in droves. Most came more for the countess’s renowned hospitality than her husband’s status. Mercedes had impeccable taste, anyone who attended her parties knew they’d experience something worth talking about, maybe even copying for their own events.

One guest who’d hesitated about coming was Madame Danglars. Recent events had left her anxious and uncertain. That morning, though, her carriage happened to pass Villefort’s on the street. He’d signaled for both carriages to stop, pulling up alongside her.

"You’re going to Madame de Morcerf’s tonight, aren’t you?" he’d asked.

"No," Madame Danglars replied. "I’m not feeling well."

"You’re making a mistake," Villefort said, his tone significant. "It’s important that you’re seen there."

"You really think so?"

And so Madame Danglars came after all, looking absolutely stunning. She arrived through one entrance just as Mercedes appeared at another. The countess sent Albert to greet Madame Danglars properly. He complimented her appearance and offered his arm to escort her to a seat.

Albert glanced around the room, clearly searching for someone.

"Looking for my daughter?" the baroness asked with a knowing smile.

"I admit it," Albert said. "Please tell me you brought her?"

"Relax. She found Mademoiselle de Villefort and they’re walking together, see them following us? Both in white dresses, one carrying camellias, the other forget-me-nots. But tell me something..."

"What would you like to know?"

"Will the Count of Monte Cristo be here tonight?"

"Seventeen!" Albert replied.

"I mean the count is incredibly popular right now," Albert said with a smile. "You’re the seventeenth person to ask me that exact question. He’s the man of the hour. I should congratulate him."

"And did you give everyone else the same answer you’re giving me?"

"Ah, you’re right, I haven’t actually answered you yet. Don’t worry, we’ll have our ’celebrity’ here tonight. We’re among the privileged few."

"Were you at the opera yesterday?"

"Really? And did our eccentric count do anything outrageous?"

"Can he ever appear anywhere without causing a scene? Elssler was dancing, and that Greek princess he keeps around was absolutely entranced. After one particular dance, he placed an enormous diamond ring on a bouquet stem and tossed it to the ballerina. In the third act, she came back wearing it on her finger to honor his gift. Anyway, will the Greek princess be here tonight?"

"No, you’ll have to do without that entertainment. Her position in the count’s household isn’t exactly... proper for polite society."

"Hold on, stay here while I go speak to Madame de Villefort. She’s trying to get your attention."

Albert bowed to Madame Danglars and walked toward Madame de Villefort, whose lips parted as if ready to speak the moment he approached.

"I’ll bet anything," Albert said, cutting her off, "that I know what you’re about to say."

"If I guess correctly, will you admit it?"

"You were going to ask if the Count of Monte Cristo has arrived yet, or when he’s expected."

"Not at all. He’s not who I’m thinking about right now. I was going to ask if you’d heard from Monsieur Franz."

"Yes, yesterday actually."

"That he was leaving at the same time his letter would arrive."

"Okay, fine. But what about the count?"

"The count will definitely come. You can count on that."

"Did you know he has another name besides Monte Cristo?"

"Monte Cristo is just an island. He has a real family name."

"I’ve never heard it."

"Well then, I’m better informed than you. His name is Zaccone."

"The son of a shipping merchant." Follow current novᴇls on noⅴelfire.net

"You know, you should announce all this out loud, you’d be the hit of the party."

"He served in India, discovered some mine in Greece, and now he’s come to Paris to establish a mineral water spa in Auteuil."

"Seriously?" Morcerf said. "This is actual news! Can I repeat it?"

"Yes, but carefully. Share one detail at a time, and don’t say you heard it from me."

"Because it’s newly discovered information."

"Discovered by whom?"

"So this information came from-"

"The police chief’s office last night. Paris is fascinated by the count’s unusual wealth, you understand. The authorities made inquiries."

"Good grief! Next thing you know, they’ll arrest him for being suspiciously rich, like some kind of vagrant."

"That probably would have happened if his background hadn’t checked out so well."

"Poor count! Does he know he was in danger?"

"Then someone should warn him. When he arrives, I’ll make sure to tell him."

Just then, a handsome young man with bright eyes, black hair, and a well-groomed mustache bowed respectfully to Madame de Villefort. Albert reached out to shake his hand.

"Madame," Albert said, "allow me to introduce Captain Maximilian Morrel, cavalry officer, one of our finest and, more importantly, one of our bravest."

"I’ve already met this gentleman at Auteuil, at the Count of Monte Cristo’s house," Madame de Villefort replied, her voice noticeably cold as she turned away.

Her dismissive tone crushed poor Morrel’s heart. But then his luck changed. Turning around, he spotted near the doorway a beautiful young woman with fair hair and large blue eyes fixed on him, expressionless yet intense. She slowly raised her bouquet of forget-me-nots to her lips.

Morrel understood the gesture perfectly. With the same expression in his eyes, he lifted his handkerchief to his mouth. These two frozen figures, hearts pounding beneath their composed exteriors, separated by the entire length of the ballroom, forgot everything else for that moment. They existed only in their mutual gaze, oblivious to the world around them.

They might have remained lost in each other much longer if not for a sudden shift in the room’s energy.

The Count of Monte Cristo had just entered.

There was something about the count that commanded attention wherever he went. It wasn’t his coat, perfectly tailored but simple and unadorned. It wasn’t his plain white vest. It wasn’t even his trousers that showed off his perfectly formed feet. None of these things drew every eye in the room.

It was his pale complexion. His flowing black hair. His calm, serene expression. His dark, melancholy eyes. His mouth, carved with such incredible precision, capable of expressing profound disdain with the slightest movement. These were what captured everyone’s attention.

Many men present might have been more conventionally handsome, but none had a more striking presence. Everything about the count seemed deliberate and meaningful. His constant habit of deep thought had given his face and even his smallest gestures an intensity rarely seen. Yet in Paris’s strange social world, even this might not have been enough to hold such attention, if not for the mysterious story surrounding him, gilded by an immense fortune.

He moved through the assembled guests under a barrage of curious stares, heading toward Madame de Morcerf. She stood before a fireplace decorated with flowers, having already seen his entrance reflected in a mirror opposite the door. She was prepared for him.