The Summer Ball
The summer air is heavy with the scent of jasmine and the sound of music as you enter the grand estate of the Count and Countess de Morcerf. You have been invited to a ball, a gathering of the Parisian elite. Though you are the center of attention, you feel a cold detachment from the revelry. Your enemies are here—Danglars, Villefort, and the host, Fernand de Morcerf.
Your eyes scan the room. You see Mercédès, the Countess de Morcerf, watching you with an intensity that suggests she sees through your mask. She approaches, her face pale, and invites you to walk with her in the garden to escape the stifling heat.
She seems desperate to break the barrier of ice you have erected. Do you maintain your cold distance, or do you allow a moment of vulnerability?