"You should know," Faria began, his voice soft but steady, "that I was the personal secretary and close friend of Cardinal Spada, the last prince of that ancient family. I owe all my happiness, all my fortune in life, to that noble man. He was a figure of rare dignity, though burdened with disappointments. He wasn't actually rich, despite his family's reputation for wealth. People used to say 'rich as a Spada' as if it were a proverb, repeated across Italy with a smile. But the Cardinal, though noble, lived only off that fading reputation, and yet his palace became my paradise."
Dantès found himself leaning forward despite his skepticism, caught by the conviction in the old man's tone.
