Our Love is Not Over

Chapter 8

"What the heck is happening back at the Akademiya for you to have this much...work!?"

Alhaitham looked at the mounds of paperwork and rubbed his temples. "We're trying to appoint new sages, that's what."

Kaveh gazed at the empty mugs of coffee on his desk and the perfectly made bed that showed little signs of being slept in. "This can't be healthy."

"Oh pot, meet kettle. He's calling you black," Alhaitham muttered half-heartedly. He leaned back in his chair, seemingly resigned to his relentless workload. But deep down, he knew that Kaveh's concerns were valid. He sighed. "At least I'll be the Scribe again soon."

Kaveh ignored his comments and glanced at him with concern, recognizing the signs of exhaustion in his eyes.

"Well, do as I say, not as I do. And I say that you need a break." He leaned forward seriously. "The Akademiya won't collapse if you take a break for a little while, trust me. Plus, you can't keep working on and on like this. You won't go anywhere if you're running on empty."

"Who said I'm running on empty?" He replied, an annoyed undertone in his sentence. But a brief flicker of desire for respite shone through his eyes, and Kaveh caught it. "I'll just take leave after I become the Scribe again."

"And when will that be? In a few days? A week? Even longer?" He pushed harder. "I'll tell the Lesser Lord to give some of this paperwork to other people."

"Archons are harder to contact than you'd think. If you really wanted to see Nahida, you'd have to go all the way to the Sanc—"

Suddenly, a knock was heard from the reception room. They both instinctively turned toward the noise and got up to answer the door.

Kaveh peered through the peephole. "Oh, it looks like someone from the Akademiya. Uh...how about you take this one, I don't want anyone from the Akademiya to know that I live with you. It's probably related to your work, anyway."

Alhaitham rolled his eyes but nodded nevertheless. He answered the door to find a nervous scholar standing before him. "H-hello, Grand Sage. Um... do you have—actually, wait. First, um... Lesser Lord Kusanali sent me here. He requested the paperwork regarding the Haravatat and Vahumana Sage selections."

Kaveh couldn't resist a smug remark from the sidelines. "Lesser Lord Kusanali is hard to reach, is she?"

The poor scholar jumped back in surprise. "S-Senior Kaveh? Why are you..." He paused, his eyes darting between Kaveh and Alhaitham, and realization dawned on him. "You two are..."

Kaveh cheeks turned pink and he spluttered, "H-hey, wait a minute, let me explain—"

He fell to his knees, his voice trembling. "Oh my Archons! I'm so sorry! I promise I won't breathe a word about your relationship. I swear to Lesser Lord Kusanali! Please, believe me! I have a wife and three daughters—"

Alhaitham hurriedly held up his hand, trying to calm the distraught scholar. "No, this is a misunderstanding. There's no need for such distress."

Kaveh stepped forward, a sheepish expression on his face. "Actually...I don't have enough money for a house, so Alhaitham is letting me stay at his residence until I can pay off my debt."

The scholar slowly rose to his feet, a mix of relief and embarrassment evident on his face. "I...I apologize for jumping to conclusions, Grand Sage, Senior Kaveh. I-I promise, your secret is safe with me."

The tension and the room disappeared, and Alhaitham confirmed, "So Lesser Lord Kusanali sent you to collect my paperwork? Did she happen to tell you why?"

Still slightly flustered, he answered, "Apparently she overheard something about the Grand Sage overworking himself and quickly sent me over to lessen the load."