"Sorry?" Eva blinked, thinking she must have heard him wrong.
"I said," Ben repeated, "the Salvatores will be in town by tomorrow morning. I need a place for their accommodations. I booked one of the best hotels, but somehow, last night, rats raided their kitchen. I can't let one of the families of the Circle stay in such a place—and there are no other hotels that match their status."
Eva laughed. "So? Give them your mansion to stay in. Think about it, Mr. Ben—this is the perfect opportunity for you to gain some profits."
Ben gritted his teeth. He had already suggested that, but they had refused to stay at his house and told him to arrange proper lodging that matched their reputation. He had no other option but to come here.
"Do you think it didn't cross my mind? Th–they refused," he muttered, barely audible.
Eva didn't catch the last part, and irritation flashed across her face. "The… the what?" she snapped.
"They refused!" Ben shouted, surprising her.
Eva blinked at the volume, then burst out laughing. Marcus and John, behind her, were clearly struggling to keep straight faces.
Ben closed his eyes, willing himself to forget the moment before it burned into memory.
After her laugh, Eva looked at him with amusement still dancing in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ben, but I can't let them stay here. As you know, it's against the rules."
Ben frowned. "I've already asked my sister's permission. She said it was fine."
Eva took a slow, deliberate breath. "Then I suppose Mrs. Bennett doesn't know the rules. But that's okay—I'll tell you. This mansion and its people exist to protect the Tomb, not to entertain guests. We can't risk having outsiders here for security reasons."
She leaned forward, locking eyes with him. Her tone turned cold.
"And just so you know… even your sister isn't allowed in this mansion. No one is allowed past the visitors' hall unless they have direct permission from Elder Bennett."
Ben's face turned red with anger. He snatched his phone out to call his sister.
Eva stood, her expression unreadable. "By all means, call her. Complain. Tell her to get Elder Bennett's permission. Only then will I allow the stay. If you don't have it, no one stays. John, keep an eye on him. Let him call whoever he wants."
Eva flipped her hair and walked away, Ben's desperate shouts still audible all the way to her bedroom. On the way to her study, she stopped one of the maids and said,
"Call the Head Butler, Mrs. Jones."
Once inside, Eva contacted James Snow, the Head Guard of the tomb, and also summoned Marcus. Within an hour, all of them had gathered in her study.
"Mrs. Jones, we'll be having a few guests, so prepare the rooms by tomorrow. Make sure there are no mistakes—it's the Salvatores. Those people are very picky.
James, increase security around the tomb. Even though they're one of the Circle families, let's be cautious while they're here. None of them should even think about entering the forest, much less the tomb.
Uncle Marcus, find out why they're visiting, the real reason. The Salvatores don't involve themselves in random affairs, and now they're coming to this small town, where even the best hotel barely reaches four stars. They must have a purpose. Let's make sure that purpose isn't the tomb. I won't risk our treasures at any cost."
All three of them nodded. Mrs. Jones and James left immediately to carry out their duties, but Marcus stayed behind.
Before he could speak, Eva smirked.
"Wondering why I've already started making arrangements before Grandpa gave his permission?"
Marcus, slightly shocked, nodded. His expression gave him away, as always.
"Because it's the Salvatores. Grandpa can't say no to them—he never could. You know as well as I do that while the world thinks my ancestor was the leader back then, the Circle knows it would've been impossible without the Salvatore ancestor. They were brothers… partners… or maybe friends, I guess.
The Salvatores wield Blood Magic—they're basically classic witches and warlocks. When our ancestors first arrived in this world, the Crystal World was teeming with all kinds of monsters. No one could defeat them-until the Salvatore ancestor cursed the monsters, weakened them, took control of their minds, and made them kill each other until none remained."
Marcus nodded grimly, just as Eva's phone began to ring. She waved the screen at him with a knowing look.
"It's Grandpa."
Marcus gave a short bow and left to give her privacy.
"Hello, Grandpa."
"Hmph. You remember I'm your grandpa?" came the aged, irritated voice from the other end.
"Oh, yes. I will remember it when you remember that I'm your granddaughter and stop locking me in this mansion like a bird in a cage," Eva replied, her voice edged with annoyance.
"Ahh… Ahem. Forget it, forget it. Let's talk business. Allow the Salvatores to stay."
"Okay. For how many days?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"As many as they want."
"And why exactly are they coming to this small town?"
"Apparently, they're hunting for an A-grade herb. It's said to be growing behind our property—deep in the mountains." Elder Bennett's voice grew more serious.
"Listen, dear. Make sure to increase security. They might ask you for some resources too, for their convenience. I'm sending a few soldiers—they'll arrive before the Salvatores do."
"Okay... but tell me—is this a favor, or did they, you know... ask in that not-so-nice tone?"
Elder Bennett laughed at Eva's concern.
"No, it's a favor. So it's okay if you mess with them a little—just don't go overboard. And stay alert. Don't get exposed."
"Got it. Tell me..."
After that, the two talked well into the night before Elder Bennett finally retired to bed.
Eva looked out from her study window, her gaze fixed on the tomb. One thought kept nagging at her—how convenient it was that rats had raided a four-star hotel, and that incident just happened to push the Salvatores toward the Bennett mansion.
"I should ask Uncle Marcus to investigate this too," she thought, a frown forming on her face.
Something about the situation didn't sit right with her. No matter how she looked at it, her heart couldn't find peace.