At the mention of that name, the whole inn shook violently without warning. Nina clutched the table to support herself and avoid falling to the ground. Ezio who was in the kitchen also braced himself by gripping the sink and trying to balance himself.
The earthquake only happened for a couple of second but it felt like an eternity for the whole town. The common people panicked and left their homes in a hurry. The streets were crowded with people but the Grand Mages who were among them were unfazed.
Mr. C, the butler, who was still with the people in-charge of catching the perpetrator could only close his eyes and sigh. He already knew who caused the earthquake but he can't leave the place yet so instead he focused on cooperating with the authorities to make the process much faster.
The shaking ground slowly came to a stop and thankfully there were no aftershocks that followed. But inside the inn, the air still remained suffocating especially so for Nina. She still needed to suffer from the master's unrelenting gaze.
"It's been so long since I heard that name, what a coincidence that I'll be able to hear that again in this world." His voice was calm and yet it was still filled with so much mocking that the other person with him felt like she was the one being mocked.
The silence after those words were already killing her that she started to pray to any other gods out there for someone to come and rescue her. Then it came, Ezio's worried voice while he was running towards them. "Master! Are you alright?" Out of worry, he touched the master's arms and looked around if he was fine only to sigh in relief after he saw that the master was fine.
Cygnus pushed him away and patted his clothes, "Do you really think that a small earthquake can injure me? Even if this building collapses, I'll be fine but you on the other hand will be eventually squashed to death."
Ezio shrugged his shoulders as he did not really care about the master's words. Then he remembered around Nina so he turned around to look at her, "Why is your face pale Miss Nina, are you okay?" He even approached her but the woman shook her head.
"I'm fine don't worry, I just got dizzy because of the shaking but I am fine." She made an excuse then she gave the master an unnoticeable glance. She felt calmed when she saw that the master returned to his usual attitude.
She reminded herself never to provoke the master again or else she might really die. If not for Ezio's timely rescue, she was already a goner. Nina looked at the teen and sighed in her heart, the teen clearly did not know who the master was.
"Where is my food?" Cygnus ignored the looks Nina was giving him and instead looked at Ezio who was still wearing a worried face. "Or are you going to keep standing there? She already told you that she was fine, so go and cook."
Ezio gave the woman an apologetic smile before he nodded to the master. "I'll be going now."
"How lucky of you, there would be no next time after this." Cygnus took his leave and returned to his room without making any more fuss.
Ezio completed his task swiftly and delivered the food to the master's room without any more delays for he was afraid that the master might get angrier if he took too long to make him some food. He was coming down from the stairs when he finally saw the butler.
"Mr. C! How did it go? Did you find the culprit?" He asked after reaching the last step and made his way towards them.
The butler raised an eyebrow at what he called him but nonetheless he had nothing to say about it, "I see that you finally learned a name to call me. I want to congratulate you little master."
"That's because it is easier to call you Mr. C than always calling you butler." He grinned then he felt a little bit shy at the man's last words. "Don't call me little master, I'm more comfortable if you call me Ezio."
"Alright, why don't you go and eat too, I believe that you set aside a portion of what you cooked?" Mr. C gently sent him away. "We will eat later as I have some things I need to talk to with Miss Nina and here, this is the key to your room."
Ezio accepted the key but he could not help but look at the two of them in curiosity. He wanted to ask but looking at Miss Nina's serious face, he swallowed his words. He gave the man a nod before he left for the kitchen.
Mr. C and Nina went to the latter's study to have a chat as he wanted to know what caused his master to be that ruffled. Nina closed and locked the door behind her after they entered the room. Mr. C then found a seat for himself and waited for the woman's explanation.
"First of all, I apologize. It was not my intention to irritate the master further." Her opening speech totally did not move Mr. C. He remained nonchalant and silent because he has nothing to say. "I just teased him and the next thing I knew was that I'm being crushed so I told him what I learned and then the earthquake happened!"
She started to pace back and forth while biting her nails. What she had gone through just minutes ago was enough to traumatized her for many years to come.
"What did you tell him to set him off like that?" Mr. C was now more interested in what this woman told the master. She already knew that the master was not in a good mood but she still went and teased him.
"I told him that the kid's surname was Constantine." Her shoulders slumped down as she felt defeated. All her energy was suddenly depleted after she told him what she said to the master.
The room fell into a tense silence as Mr. C seemed to have become deathly silent. Nina looked at him but only someone who had his eyes closed. He looked like he had shut down as he was not moving to the point that he seemed to have stop breathing.
"Mr. C?" Nina called out but she still did not hear an answer from the man so she decided to see if he was still okay. This was a much better reaction though, than what the master had done, she thought.
The moment she was only a few inches away from him, she heard him sigh then he spoke, "As it turned out, coincidences do really exist."