Kaveh Seeks Husband

Chapter 2: Embracing Beauty

As Kaveh approached the dashing stallion upon a hill, he began to see his features more clearly. There was the horse's refined physique, toned muscles, the beautiful long tail, the powerful legs, the long neck... and... and... OH!

Kaveh flinched and jumped back. Instead of the usual horse's head, the face of the horse was undeniably human. Pale glass skin, in contrast with the gray fur of the horse, a straight elegant nose, merciless emerald green eyes like a hawk's, which stared Kaveh down. Straight gray hair fell carelessly over the horse's (?) tall forehead, and a pair of green headphones covered his ears from the loud world.

"You're..." Kaveh gasped. Tears welled up in his shiny red orbs. "Beautiful!" he wept with joy.

"Huh?" the horse adjusted his headphones with his shiny polished hoof to hear Kaveh better. "My apologies, do I know you?"

"You can speak!" Kaveh burst into tears again.

"Of course I can," the horse huffed. "Do you think my mouth is just for decoration?... Look, stop crying, you. Calm down and tell me what you want from me."

"I am an architect from Sumeru City," Kaveh told the horse. "My name is Kaveh—"

"Ah, yes, I heard," the horse said. "One of my colleagues at the Akademiya was talking about one of your projects... Palace of... Alka-Seltzer?"

"Alcazarzaray," Kaveh corrected him. "But, mighty stallion, have you really been to the Akademiya yourself?"

"I work as the Akademiya scribe," the horse told him. Kaveh cast a disbelieving glance at the horse's unwieldy-looking hooves. "What are you looking at? I can hold anything in my hooves, including all types of pens," the horse told him, sounding angry.

"Ah, sorry, mighty stallion, I didn't mean to offend..."

"Stop calling me that, will you? My name is Alhaitham."

"That name is so fitting!" Kaveh exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"You see, Alhaitham, I was wondering if you could be my muse. Never in my life have I met anything or anyone so beautiful and worthy of admiration and worship such as yourself! Even your name, the very paragon of elegance as an architect must know it! I am in awe."

"Stop thaaat!" Alhaitham blushed, covered his face with his hoof and waved a another hoof in Kaveh's direction. "Wait, why would an architect need a living being as a muse? Don't you guys build houses or something?"

"Don't question that," Kaveh said quickly, desperately trying to cover up the obvious plot hole the careless author left. He reached for Alhaitham's hoof and cupped it in his hands. "Please, Alhaitham, be my muse."

How will Alhaitham react to this sudden proposal from a complete stranger? Does he share Kaveh's special feelings as well? Find out in the next chapter!