Seeing Marcus leave, Eva stopped playing with fire and opened her drawer. She took out a worn-out book, its pages yellowed and brittle with age; the words were barely legible.
The book was one of the treasures from the tomb. When Eva was checking the inventory, she came across it buried deep within the wall. After checking the logbooks, she found that this particular book wasn't mentioned anywhere. Clearly, no one knew about it, and since no one knew, Eva took it and hid it in her study.
And thank God she did.
The book turned out to be the diary of her ancestor, Aziel Bennett. According to her grandfather's stories, he was the most powerful Bennett in history—and the leader of the non-humans back in the day. He was the one who convinced them to move to the Crystal World. He, along with a few others, had discovered this world and later founded the Aurion Circle.
The diary was filled with tales of his adventures and discoveries, but judging by the condition of the pages, Eva was sure she'd never be able to finish reading it.
Well, at least I tried. I should probably put it back inside the wall—so it stays safe, and no one else finds it, she thought.
Nodding to herself, she tucked the book into her handbag and walked out of her room. As she stepped into the hallway, she saw Marcus walking toward her.
"I'm going to the tomb. Do you wanna come?" Eva asked casually.
Marcus shook his head and replied, "I'm gonna sleep. Take John with you—I need a break."
Eva nodded and smiled at John, who silently fell in step behind her, following Marcus's instruction.
They walked quietly through the grounds. The tomb was located behind the mansion, still within the Bennett estate. The gates opened the moment the guards saw Eva.
Years after the tomb was built, her family had built high walls around it and installed all kinds of traps to protect the place—and to let their ancestors rest in peace. Only a few members of the Bennett family were allowed inside.
John stayed outside while Eva stepped into the tomb. Every time she visited this place, her heart filled with peace and calm, like the warmth of a mother's hug. Taking out a key, she disabled all the traps and walked in.
Once inside, she lit a candle for her ancestor and offered a silent prayer. Only then did she take the book from her bag and place it back into the hidden compartment behind the statue of her ancestor.
Gazing at the statue's handsome face, Eva smiled to herself and thought, 'He must have broken many hearts in his youth.'
Taking one last look, Eva turned around and walked out—but not before reactivating all the traps.
Outside, John was waiting for her. The moment he saw Eva, he stood on high alert.
"You're new, right, John?" Eva asked, trying to make conversation with the handsome soldier for the thirty-minute walk back.
"Yes, Miss Eva. It's been three months since I joined," he replied in a crisp, military tone.
Hearing his formal tone, Eva smiled and asked, "Did you always want to join the Bennett army, or did it just happen?"
Shaking his head, John answered, "No, I wanted to join the Bennett army."
That piqued Eva's curiosity. "Why? Doesn't the Aurion Circle have many other armies? We have the Salvatore army, one of the best—known for their brilliant strategies. The Lancaster army is famous for its weapons. And there are many more. So tell me, why us?"
"I know they probably have more resources than we do, Miss Eva. I also know that our army is the smallest among all in the Circle. But I know this for a fact that one soldier from our army is enough to kill thousands of theirs. And most importantly," he paused, voice steady with emotion, "what I admire about the Bennett army is that they never leave their own behind on the battlefield.
Years ago, my father served in your army. He was once trapped by the enemy, but General Marcus came to his rescue personally. That's when I decided I'd dedicate my life to this army."
Eva nodded, understanding the young man's conviction. She was glad she had asked. He did seem to have potential—from what she could sense, he had already crossed the Knight Stage, just two levels below her own. The rest of the walk was filled with small-town gossip and idle chatter until they finally reached the mansion.
Seeing the cars lined up in front, Eva knew a guest was waiting for her. To the outside world, Eva was just the keeper of the tomb and its treasures. There had been many times when people plotted to take her position, but every accusation obviously reached her grandfather, who always played dumb and brushed them off.
But people never stop.
And one of them was sitting right now in my living room.
I walked to the sofa and sat down, while John and Marcus stood behind me. Marcus was probably cursing the guest in his head for disturbing his nap. The one constant thing about Marcus? He loves his sleep more than anything; he has a reputation for killing someone for disturbing his sleep.
"Mr. Ben Silvane, what an unexpected pleasure. To what do I owe the honor?"
"Eva Kingsley," he said with a smirk, "I'm amazed at your skill in holding onto this position for so long. Exactly how do you do it?"
Ben Silvane—one of the cousins from her second aunt's side—had his eyes on my position for a long time. Too bad he'll never get it.
I could feel my anger bubbling inside me, but I still smiled and replied sweetly, "I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Ben. Anyway, please state your purpose."
I had no intention of entertaining this fool. One more wrong word, and I'd have him thrown out—far, far away.
Seeing the coldness in my expression, Ben adjusted his tie and said,
"The Salvatores are visiting this town. They need a place to stay."