Noirtier sat waiting in his armchair, dressed entirely in black from head to toe. His paralyzed body remained utterly motionless, yet his sharp eyes burned with a fierce, almost defiant intelligence that seemed to command the room. When the three people he had summoned finally entered, he slowly turned his gaze toward the door in silent instruction. His loyal servant immediately understood the gesture, stepped forward without a word, and closed it quietly behind them, sealing the room in tense stillness.
"Listen carefully," Villefort whispered harshly to his daughter Valentine, who couldn't quite conceal the joy sparkling in her eyes or the tremor in her breath. "If your grandfather tries to communicate anything that would delay your wedding, I forbid you to understand him."
Valentine's cheeks flushed pink, but she said nothing.
