The poisoned Valentine remains unconscious, but despite pleas from Albert and Maximilien Crown Prosecutor Villefort is trying to keep the situation under wraps by treating it as a family matter, and an attempt by Albert to get help from his father fails miserably. Some time later, General de Morcerf, Baron Danglars, Crown Prosecutor Villefort and Gaspard Caderousse receive a funeral invitation from an unknown Edmond Dantès, but find the body in the coffin to be someone else. With Valentine still in danger, Franz and Maximilien decide to take matters into their own hands and find themselves aided by a most unlikely source.