[ one hour for two, who must travel far through the castle to return to their posts. kaveh thinks, then, that he only has half an hour instead. half an hour to reassure them of his safety, to rekindle their hope, and to hear about their days, so he may carry their burden, as a prince should.

your guilt is misplaced, alhaitham speaks, and kaveh looks away. of course he knows of it. kaveh only wishes he were not so transparent, that emotions did not show clear on his face, that his actions were unseen by all. but kaveh, so honest to a fault, so sincere in his pain, does not know how to sharpen his mask against someone who sees right through it. ]

I will be careful. [ is what he says first. half an hour. kaveh would hate to endanger his people further than he already has.

then, quieter as well, with a voice that speaks of guilt: ] ... Could you, um, let the kitchen servants know that the dessert was well-received, and to send for more come dinner?

[ a small solace, he thinks, and a favor he's loathe to ask of alhaitham. but if there's praise from the crown prince, then it would do kurash well. ]