At the request of the Count of Monte Cristo, Charles readily agreed to a request to help the young Italian nobleman André Cavalcanti.

Although he knew in his heart that this Andrea Cavalcanti might be from the wrong place, Charles had no interest in exposing the Count's lies, and only accepted it as the truth.

After Charles agreed, the Count seemed to be quite happy, so he stayed with Charles on the balcony on the second floor for a drink. The Earl's Court looked a little busy, and the servants came and went like industrious bees.

"Is there going to be an event in the house next?" Charles took a sip of cocoa and asked the Count.

"Yes, I'm going to have a big banquet with some of the high-ranking people I've met since I came to Paris, and some of the big people who have helped me." The Count replied at once, "Your family, if you are willing to give me this honor, is of course among them." ”

This did not arouse Charles's suspicions, after all, in his opinion, the Count of Monte Cristo came here to spend money and squeeze into high society, and it was too normal to hold a grand banquet or something.

"I'm sorry, sir." He shook his head, "Of course I'd love to attend your banquet, but my grandfather probably can't, you know, he's His Majesty's chief military attaché, and His Majesty has a lot of things to ask him about recently, so ...... I'm afraid he won't be able to attend. ”

"Then at least bring your sister with you, right?" The Count did not give up, "Please understand...... Ever since I came to Paris, I've been working with adults, and sometimes I'd love to see some youthful touches. ”

Charles was a little stunned, he didn't understand why the Count asked for this, but after thinking about it for a while, he didn't think it hurts, so he agreed.

"Okay, I'll bring her with me then, but my sister has never been good at communicating with others, so if there is anything that offends you, please forgive me."

"Of course, who cares about children?" The Count waved his hand, "I'll do everything I can to make her have fun here." ”

……………………

After finishing his drink, the Count returned to his study, but Charles did not take his leave immediately, he wanted to find out more about the situation.

He wanted to find that Andre Cavalcanti and set up the other party's bottom.

After extensive remodeling and repairs, the Earl's mansion became more and more magnificent, but one of the disadvantages was that the Charles were somewhat lost.

Fortunately, during this time, he also got to know some people around the earl.

He came to the vestibule, and found a middle-aged man who was shouting at the servants and preparing for the count's banquet.

This middle-aged man is tall, with long hands, a thick face, and a fine beard. Although he was wearing a decent formal suit, he could still see some rough savage aura on his body.

He was Monsieur Bertuccigio, the butler of the Count of Monte Cristo.

Strangely, compared to his usual calm and energetic appearance, today's housekeeper seems a little nervous, and it can even be said that he is not giving up. Although he had been venting the tension in his heart with loud scolding, Charles could see that he was a little agitated and his face turned blue, as if he had encountered some great problem.

It's okay if it's normal, but at this point in time, his anxiety is a little interesting.

Why?

With this question in mind, Charles calmly walked up to him.

"Mr. Bertuccio!?"

The butler, who had not noticed Charles's approach, suddenly snorted.

"What?!"

It took him a moment before he reacted, and then he hurriedly smiled at Charles, "I'm sorry, Mr. Treville, I ...... I'm a little busy right now, so I didn't notice it was you. ”

"Well, I can understand you've worked hard." Charles nodded very generously, and then asked, "I wanted to ask you where Andre is, I want to meet him." ”

"Andrey?" Butler Bertuccio was a little unresponsive for a moment.

"It's that Mr. André Cavalcanti, a young nobleman from Rome." Charles reminded.

"Oh! Oh...... It's him. "Butler Bertuccio woke up from a dream," he ...... He must have been in the parlor on the first floor, or in the lounge, where someone played billiards with him. ”

"Okay, can you please show me the way?" Charles asked again.

"Oh, okay...... I'll have someone take you there. Slowly, the butler called over a servant, and ordered him to take the Charles with him.

He knew this Andrei and was a little afraid of the young man, so he didn't want to see him. Charles made a judgment at once.

Another flaw -

The Count had just said that he had only known André Cavalcanti because he had been entrusted by a friend, but his butler had known him!

And judging from his unrelenting appearance, this Andre is definitely not a good stubble.

Charles felt like he was getting closer to the truth.

He decided to test the butler again.

"Mr. Bertuccio, how long have you been with the Count of Monte Cristo?" "Sometimes I feel like you've not been with the Count from the beginning," he suddenly asked. ”

"Yes, sir."

If it were the usual Bertuccio, he should have been more tight-lipped, but in this state of distraction, he lost his original alertness, and nodded truthfully, "I have only had the privilege of serving the Earl by his side in recent years. ”

"It's strange that the Earl would have someone he had only known for a few years to be his butler." Charles said casually, "It stands to reason that such an important and intimate task would be done by someone he has known since childhood, right?" Maybe even the servants passed on to him by the father, after all, isn't that how noble families should be? ”

"It stands to reason that it should be, but my situation is different." Although he was not in good shape, Bertuccio replied in a proud tone, "I was introduced by a good friend of his, so the Count thinks he can place great trust in me. ”

Charles was silent.

"I guess this good friend is Lord Wilmore, right?" After a moment, he asked.

"No, it's not, it's Father Bousani." Bertuccio shook his head, "Father Priest is a very kind man, he helped me a lot, and it was he who saved me from the difficult situation and made me where I am today. ”

"Oh, he's such a nice guy then." Charles nodded.

Although he was calm on the surface, he was a little excited inside.

Interesting! Could it be that the people around this Count of Monte Cristo were found through Lord Wilmo and Father Bousani? Charles complained in his heart.

However, it would not be natural to continue the cliché, so he decided to end there.

He followed the servant all the way to the lounge inside the mansion, and sure enough, he saw Andre Cavalcanti playing billiards at the pool table. Charles silently walked over to the pool table and watched the billiards game.

Andre's movements are skilful and natural, and he seems to have a lot of experience, and he has a lot of experience with his opponents.

And his opponent ......

"Albert?" It took Charles a few seconds before recognizing the opponent.

Albert de Marsève, the only son of the Count of Malceve.

This is a rather lovely young man, probably in his early twenties. He has a delicate face and a flattering smile, and seems to be an optimist by nature, with light and agile movements, full of youthful energy.

He wore a blue coat and a lilac bow tie, and it seemed that he could always find that cheerful air in him.

Only a young man who is truly free of all worries will have such a cheerful atmosphere, full of vitality, and it seems that just standing with him can make people feel happy.

"Oh, isn't this Charles? It's a rare opportunity to see you in a place like this! As soon as he saw Charles, Albert put down his club and walked over to Charles enthusiastically, "So you also want to relax!" ”

"Look at what you said, I'm also a young man, okay?" Charles grumbled with a smile and leaned over to his side.

Albert de Marceff and Charles have known each other since childhood, because they are both the "second and third generations of the army" of the empire, so they have always been cultivated as the future elite of the empire, and they have served as attendants in the court early, and they often meet,

However, unlike the hard-working Charles, Albert de Marseff was a natural hedonist and optimist, and of course he couldn't stand the rules of the court, so he always regarded being an errand in the court as a chore, and only dealt with it with superficial etiquette, and over time he was not taken seriously in the court, and in the end, no one cared about him.

He also enjoyed being ignored by others and often had fun all over Paris.

However, although he likes to be lively and entertaining by nature, because of his strict family education, he is not like many playboys who behave sluttily, and his life is quite checky - there are rumors of romantic affairs, but they are very few. Compared to others, it is already a checkpoint.

To be honest, Charles liked him.

Who doesn't love someone who can make people happy and be a non-threat to others?

The two of them exchanged pleasantries and walked to the pool table, Albert picked up his club and prepared to continue the game, while Andre Cavalcanti, who was next to him, was also considerate to keep a certain distance so that the two friends could talk freely.

"How did you know the Count of Monte Cristo?" Albert picked up the club and hit a shot, then asked Charles casually.

"For some personal reasons, the Count wanted me to help him get to know the Parisian society." Charles replied.

"Oh, social favors! It's really up to you to do it. Albert exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Who doesn't know that this kid from the Trevier family is well-informed at a young age, and if you want to get to know high society, he must lead the way!" ”

"Don't say it so exaggerated, I'm embarrassed." Charles smiled wryly, and then asked rhetorically, "So, how did you know the Count of Monte Cristo?" ”

"That's a long story...... Albert still smiled, and then spread his hands, "You should have heard a news story a while ago, right?" I had an amazing adventure in Rome when I was traveling abroad......"

"What did you do in Rome?" Charles groaned for a moment, searching his mind for memories of the past, and then a flash of inspiration, "Ah! You mean you were kidnapped by kidnappers in Rome?! ”

Charles remembered that it was about the same last year that Albert had traveled to Italy in a hurry, and when he returned, he told the story of his adventures there, how he was kidnapped by his kidnappers and rescued by others......

At that time, Charles, like everyone else, felt that this was just an exaggerated "adventure" of a young man, and that he might indeed encounter some trouble, but it would never be as serious as a kidnapping, so they just listened to it, and no one took it seriously, let alone reassured.

As a result, Albert now came to the Count of Monte Cristo, and said that he knew the Count of Monte Cristo at that time!

Rome, bandits...... Is it really just a coincidence?

No, Charles wouldn't think so.

"yes, that's it." Albert seemed to remember what had happened before, his expression was a little embarrassed, and he was faintly excited, "I was quite stupid at that time, when I was attending the ball, I saw a particularly beautiful girl, so I wanted to pay her great courtesy, but I accidentally kicked on the iron plate, this girl turned out to be the wife of a robber leader!" The bandit leader's name is Vanpa, have you ever heard of that name? Surely not, right......? ”

Before Charles could reply, the excited young man continued, "Don't think of him as a small character!" This guy is very young, but he is a well-known bandit leader in the area, who kills people without blinking, and has done a lot of vicious things, and I fell into his hands in a daze, how unlucky do you think I must be? I was so miserable that I was in despair, and I thought I was going to destroy the poor Malsev family......"

Although he said that he was unlucky, he was full of excitement, and he didn't seem to have much fear, and he was really a hopeless optimist.

"Then, a hero appeared and saved you?" Charles asked calmly.

"Yes! I'm saved, the hero is out! Albert excitedly pried the cue ball off the table, and then landed on a large number of red balls like cannonballs, "The Count of Monte Cristo came down like a god and saved me, and the robber leader Vampa seemed to owe him some favor, so he was very gracious and let me go, without even asking for a ransom." So, on the whole, not only did I have nothing to lose, but I also met a heroic friend, Charles, which is probably what Orientals often call luck in misfortune, right? ”

The philosophers of the East are right, misfortune and fortune depend on it, so you have been kidnapped, and a hero has come to save you, so that you can get out of danger safe and sound.

But poor Albert, you don't know, there is a second half of this sentence - blessings and misfortunes.

Was it really lucky that Albert was saved and then met the Count of Monte Cristo?

According to the information that Charles now knows, this Wampa can be said to be one of the close associates of the Count of Monte Cristo, and is even willing to take risks for his sake and infiltrate France.

So from this point of view, Albert's so-called "adventure" is worth playing.

No, this is actually a game set up by the Count of Monte Cristo and Wampa......

This is not an impossible thing, judging by the Count's previous performance, he seems to have some interest in the Count Malseve's family, whatever his purpose, judging by his character, it should not be surprising at all to create a little opportunity to get close to the Malsef family.

Thinking of this, Charles looked at Albert with a sudden hint of pity in his eyes.

"Hey, what do you think I'm doing? Didn't I already tell you, I'm out of danger! Albert looked at Charles protestingly, "Now we are in the safety of France, in the arms of a gentle mother." In Rome, the Count of Monte Cristo helped me, and in return, I had to do him a favor. ”

He then pointed to André Cavalcanti across the table, "The Count asked me to bring this young man into the social arena and let me help him make the name of the Cavalcanti family, so I'll take him around the place for a while." Seriously, his dad is very generous, I heard that he is given 60,000 yuan a year in pocket money, and at this amount, I think he will definitely be able to thrive in the social arena......"

"It so happened that the Count gave me the same request, and I granted it." Charles smiled slightly, "So it looks like we have a similar job now." ”

Although he was calm on the surface, Charles was still struggling with the question of whether to give this lovely young man Albert a slurp.

Under normal circumstances, Charles would not have this kind of entanglement at all, so he did not care about the life or death of others, but was happy to peek into the reality of the earl; But Albert is different after all, they are more or less friends who have known each other since childhood, although Albert is a few years older than him, but he has never put on a fight, and his optimistic personality is also what Charles prefers.

But what he said now has no substantiated evidence, and it is completely chasing after the wind.

What's more, what if the Count had no ill will towards Albert? Isn't he just a villain who tells right and wrong, deceives people, and is ungrateful?

Malsev was the marshal of the Empire, a hot favorite in front of His Majesty the Emperor, who had commanded tens of thousands of troops, and was really prestigious, and Charles could not think of a reason why the Count of Monte Cristo would deliberately deal with him.

Maybe the Count just wants to cling to the powerful?

There is another very important reason.

That is, although Albert was lovely, his father, the Count of Malsève, was not so lovely, on the contrary, a little scary.

Although the two marshals Trevile and Marsev were both favored by His Majesty the Emperor and helped him to run the army, Marshal Trevier was old after all, so he could only serve as the chief military attache by His Majesty's side. But the Count of Malsev is different, he is in the prime of life, he is a real powerful faction, he has made great achievements for the empire over the years, and has made a lot of contributions to the empire, and he has naturally accumulated a lot of capital under his hands.

He has led the army for many years, and has promoted countless cronies, even in the just-concluded Spanish counterinsurgency war, he also led a group of people to be promoted and made a fortune, which can be described as a popular star in the army.

Under these circumstances, the young generals represented by him were undoubtedly a great threat to the position of the generals of the Napoleonic era, such as Marshal Treville.

Although on the surface Marshal Malsev still maintains the humility he deserves and the respect he deserves for the older generals, the threat has been objectively created.

So, in Grandpa's shoes, Charles really didn't mind if something went wrong with Count Malseff, and it was better to make a fuss and let his aggressive momentum stop.

After thinking about it, Charles decided to ignore it for the time being, not to reveal anything to Albert, and to continue to observe the situation.

It would be better if nothing happened, and if something happened that would disgrace the Count of Malsève, he would be happy to see it, and if it did threaten Albert's life, he would not mind intervening.

"Hey, young man, why are you suddenly in a daze?" Albert's voice woke Charles up.

This young man must not have known that Charles had turned so many thoughts in a short period of time, but he thought that Charles was suddenly in a daze.

"Ah, sorry, I thought of something else all of a sudden." Charles smiled apologetically, then picked up a club from the side as well. "Can you let me join in?"

"Of course you can, we're just going to fight anyway." Albert nodded immediately.

Andrea Cavalcanti also hurriedly welcomed him.

In this way, the three of them got together and played billiards.

It has to be said that Albert does have a talent for enlivening the atmosphere, and from the very beginning he is witty and constantly jokes about all kinds of upper-class anecdotes.

Charles knew in his heart that he was quietly helping André get acquainted with the situation, so he kept talking to Albert and joking with each other.

But in his heart, he sneered a little.

He really doesn't have a sense of crisis at all.

This young boy is handsome and cute, and his personality is also very humorous and likable, but that's about it.

He's a good guy, but he's just too good, so he's just a good guy.

For ordinary people, ignorance may be a kind of happiness, but for those who are in the upper vortex of the empire, ignorance is a sin, a crime against oneself and one's family.

Relying on the advantageous position that his fathers had worked so hard for, Albert chose to have fun in time, maybe this is not wrong, but when the storm really comes, does this lovely young man really have the ability to stand up, rely on his own courage and resourcefulness, and take himself and his family through the stormy waves?

To be honest, Charles is a little skeptical.