Holy City, 17 King Street.
Edmond stood in front of the window in the second-floor study, gently lifting a corner of the curtain and gazing towards the street at the entrance gate of the courtyard.
He saw a rickshaw parked over there, and a gentleman, whose hair was neatly combed, getting down from the vehicle.
The gentleman did not imdiately ring the doorbell. Instead, he stood at the gate, slightly nervous, adjusting his tie and even awkwardly dusting off the sleeves of his coat.
Then—
He took out his cologne.
Seeing this, Edmond's heart was instantly filled with mixed emotions.
He never imagined that he, once a small figure who had to gauge the mood of the lady at the counter just to withdraw so money from the bank, could one day make the esteed manager of the Royal Bank look so nervous.
Though he was a branch manager.
"Rember the lines I taught you. If you can't recall them, just take a look at the letters embroidered on the cuffs. They might help you rember sothing." A voice, light yet commanding, drifted from not far behind him, reminding him of the task ahead.
The man, who was leaning on the door, was a bona fide nobleman, nad Ticky Cosia—now serving as the right-hand man beside Prince Colin, and also a rising influential figure in the Holy City.
Lumier had specially appointed the respected Baron Cosia to be his "etiquette teacher," imparting to him the intricate social phrases and the etiquette to be mindful of among the nobles.
Edmond was both surprised and amazed, but after carefully learning, he couldn't help but lant—aren't these all just deceitful tricks?
But this was only in his thoughts; he had taken the lessons seriously these past days.
Looking at his esteed teacher, Edmond bowed respectfully and spoke like a student.
"Yes, Baron Cosia, I will keep them in mind."
"Good, rember to hold your head high; your status is not any lower than mine, nor any lower than that of the bank manager."
Ticky nodded in satisfaction, slightly adjusted his collar, and quietly left the study.
Edmond took a deep breath, readjusted his expression, and pushed the door to go downstairs to greet his guest.
…
Elsewhere, outside the new ho of the Dantes family, Huck Alton was tossing a silver coin to the young man pulling the cart.
"Take it, no need for change."
He resisted the heartache and didn't look, waving his hand to dismiss the imnsely grateful young man.
This silver coin was half a day's wages for him, but he couldn't walk into Sir Dantes' house with a pocketful of clinking copper coins.
The na of the Imperial Royal Bank was prestigious, but the White Dew District branch was not a particularly lucrative position.
The residents there were basically farrs or rural nobles, and neither had much demand for loans. And when they truly did, it would an they were on a downhill path, so the bank was even less inclined to lend to them.
Ultimately, the White Dew District, nearly 50 kiloters away from the Holy City, essentially had no industries worth investing in. The land ownership structure there was complex; clever people simply wouldn't co.
It was precisely because of this that when Huck heard Sir Dantes was planning to establish a business locally, he dared not trouble the latter to personally make the trip and thus brought himself forward instead.
Standing at the door, Huck repeatedly took deep breaths, adjusted his emotions, and only then stepped up to ring the bell.
"17 King Street… this is it, no doubt." he softly murmured the gate number, masking his unease.
The door was engraved with gilded emblems, shining brilliantly under the afternoon sun, proclaiming the extraordinary status of its owner.
Before long, a steward wearing a tailcoat arrived at the door, smilingly greeting as he opened it.
"You must be Mr. Huck Alton. My master has been expecting you."
Huck promptly handed over his business card, forcing a sincere smile on his face.
"That's ."
The steward respectfully accepted the card and then gestured invitingly.
"Please follow ."
Under the steward's guidance, Huck entered the front courtyard of the villa. He suppressed the urge to look everywhere, striving to keep his gaze focused on the main building's door, yet his peripheral vision uncontrollably wandered about driven by curiosity.
Here, the garden was spacious and tidy, the lush green lawn stretched endlessly, and the sun poured down among them, with a neo-classical styled villa standing imposingly at the center like a magnificent castle, commanding awe.
Though he was the manager of the Imperial Royal Bank's White Dew District branch and regularly visited the luxurious hos of rchants and elite figures, when truly stepping into the villa located at the core of the Holy City, the inner shock was indescribable.
Although under the Holy Light all are equal, there are always those who enjoy more abundant sunshine.
This is life, indeed.
Huck sighed in his heart, silently estimating the value of this house, guessing at least 5000 gold coins.
Led by the steward, a reserved Huck arrived at an elegantly decorated reception hall.
Edmond Dantes was standing beside the fireplace, a gentle smile on his face in welco.
"Mr. Edmund, thank you for your gracious invitation," Huck hurried forward, politely extending his hand with enthusiasm, saying, "Your mansion is truly magnificent; I recognized it as yours at a glance!"
Edmond smiled humbly and said, "Not at all, not at all; it's all thanks to Prince Colin's favor."
Prince Colin!
Edmond did not hide the fact, yet Huck felt a tremor in his heart, his eyes instantly revealing a hint of excitent and a glow of desire.
In the Holy City, there was not a soul unaware of the prestigious and honorable Prince, and almost everyone knew this Prince had a distant relative in the city; however, no one knew the Prince's attitude towards this poor relative.
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