Kael looked at the folder in Amelia's hands.
Then he looked at her face.
She looked tired.
Not physically tired. Amelia still maintained her impeccable posture, neatly arranged hair, and controlled expression. But her eyes gave her away. She had spent far too long reading documents, cross-referencing names, comparing dates, and trying to find a pattern where everyone else saw only chaos.
Kael recognized that kind of exhaustion.
It was the same thing he felt after a long battle, only for completely different reasons.
"How long did you spend on this?"
Amelia shrugged.
"Long enough."
"That's not an answer."
"Two days."
Kael frowned.
"Two entire days?"
"With breaks."
Irelia answered for her.
"Small ones."
Sylphie crossed her arms.
"Almost nonexistent."
Amelia looked at the two of them.
"Neither of you rested properly either."
"But we aren't pretending we did," Irelia said.
Kael took the folder from Amelia's hand before she could stop him.
Her eyes widened slightly.
