The carriage wheels had barely disappeared around the corner when Albert burst into laughter, forced and painfully obvious.
"Well?" he said, turning to the Count. "How did I do? Did I play my part well enough?"
"What part?" Monte Cristo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Come on, you know what I mean. Watching my rival move in on Danglars' daughter."
"Your rival?" The Count's tone was innocent. "You mean Andrea Cavalcanti? I wouldn't call him my protégé, at least not when it comes to the Danglars family."
Albert snorted. "You should be helping him if he actually needed it. But lucky for me, he seems to be doing just fine on his own."
"Wait, you think he's seriously pursuing her?"
"I know he is. The way he looks at Eugénie Danglars, the way his voice softens when he talks to her, it's obvious. He wants to marry her."
Monte Cristo shrugged. "So what? As long as they still favor you, what does it matter?"
