Dantès finally tells his story—what he remembers of it. From his voyage to India to the moment of his arrest, the details spill out: Captain Leclère’s death, a mysterious letter, a joyful engagement, and a wedding feast turned nightmare. And then… the blank of prison.
Faria listens carefully. When Dantès finishes, the abbé offers a guiding principle: if you wish to find the author of a crime, ask who profits. From emperors to bureaucrats, it is the same logic: power, gain, and fear of being replaced. And Dantès, it turns out, was not so insignificant after all.