Leaving Edmond Dantès imprisoned, Villefort rushes to Paris seeking political advantage by presenting himself as the man who uncovered a Bonapartist conspiracy. At the Tuileries, King Louis XVIII dismisses warnings and jokes about Napoleon’s weakness while surrounded by overconfident advisers. Villefort delivers intelligence suggesting Napoleon may soon leave Elba. The king’s confidence begins to crack just as new information arrives, hinting that the threat is far more real than anyone imagined.