Jose
The guard quickly gulped seeing he had upset his lady and without another word the doors were shut behind the disguised prince. As he ascended the stairs, many of the butlers and maids who had just witnessed Lady Solana say nothing and be so angry all at once avoided her, scurrying away or trying their best to seem busy and clean things that seemed to already be spotless. As the prince made his way through the manor, already knowing the layout surely helped with his disguise. This was no fantasy story, for he would surely be caught if the own lady of the house didn't know where she was going in her own home. The moment the prince entered the record room and shut the door behind him, he'd first be greeted by a much, much older elven man who tilted his head in his/her direction. "Oh, my lady. I thought you were in the capital for a ball?"

Of course, should the prince ignore him and continue to rummage, it may cause a bit of an alarm, though the elf seemed like nothing more than the families record keeper or something similar.
James
"I have *Decided*," *Astalios glared pointedly.* "To review some of our records before returning to the ball. I am close to a business deal with a particularly frustrating nobleman whom I wish to be done with quickly. Leave me." *He snarled in her voice, promptly returning to his work in going through the papers. Where was the profit margin from the last few years? The expenses? Any sort of record of her family's dealings? They had to be here somewhere - and Astalios was no stranger to record-keeping, having done his research in the Alchemist's Guild.*

*There was a filing system somewhere. No trapdoors from his metal sense, nor hidden safes within the walls, were there...?*
Jose
The old man sputtered a bit, but left nonetheless, shutting the door behind him as he went. As for the prince, he was now completely alone, and as he rummaged through all the files, he'd find they were neatly kept in alphabetical order. With his magic, he'd sense something behind a painting on the opposite wall. The painting itself was that of the Argarvarans, though it must have been recent given Dalyor was missing from the family portrait. It was most likely a safe of sorts or lockbox behind a small trapped door, though as he continued to search in all the files and papers, all major documents he'd inevitably skim over seemed to be tip top in terms of the law of the kingdom. Nothing on slavery, which meant it was hidden somewhere.

Adjacent to the painting, another shelf of files could be seen, and rather than in alphabetical order, they were marked by dates. Each shelf had around five small boxes filled with files, each box with a year's full of files on profits from the mines. The years on the boxes seemed to go relatively far back, around fifteen years. This meant files from the Glynfirs must have been here as well.
James
*Excellent. First, there was likely to be old information in the Glynfir ledgers, so he decided to prioritize the safe in the walls before coming to them. He reached out with the invisible hand of magic, and feeling the hinges and latches, unlocked them one by one. He removed the painting personally, gently sliding it up and off the wall to set it down carefully on a nearby desk. Ideally, besides the files being missing, the Agarvarans would notice nothing further.

With a flick of his hand, the wall opened, and he was faced with the lockbox, whose iron mechanism was child's play to turn at Astalios's will. The moment of truth was at hand - what was in the lockbox? What files could he find?*
Jose
As the prince opened the lockbox, nothing more than a small amulet would be within. There was no sort of metal on it, but it glowed with an obvious form of magic. Alongside the lockbox in the hole in the wall were papers in a file beneath it. Dozens of contracts with the Agarvarans name on each of them were inside, all pertaining to the purchase of obscene amounts of slaves. All contracts were only ever from one of two places however, Dasvaz or Gantrick, the two neighboring kingdom and nation respectively. Both Solana and Hagred's names were each of the contracts, along with a red stamp that read 'Lerwick Trading Company.' On the contracts, the slaves were only ever written down as numbers and letters, such as A230, B843 and so on. Never any names or anything to identify them should they perish in the mines.

Previously found in the castles archives, the prince would most likely recall to the amount of deaths in the mines since the Agarvarans took over the company having risen exponentially. All contracts present were only ever dated as far back as around the time the Agarvarans took over the mining company. However, the question still remained; what was the amulet for? Why did it glow? What sort of enchantment was within its amethyst shell?
James
*Excellent. Astalios slipped the files into his doublet, and left the amulet there. There was no use in taking an obviously magical object when it could blow him open. He had enough evidence for a conviction right there - and as the judge presiding over his own trial, he had the discretion to pronounce the sentence. Execution was imminent for the Agarvarans. He closed the lockbox once more, re-locked the chest, closed the wall and the trapdoor, and replaced the painting and the other files.

The prince then opened the door to the record room, left, closed it behind him, and quickly strode off to the wayshrine, to return to his castle...*
Jose
As the prince in disguise exited the archive room, he'd feel a small form bump into his legs, followed by small arms wrapping around them. As he looked down, he'd see a tiny face stare up at him with starry eyes before the small child spoke up to him. "Hi, momma! Is Luna home?" The little half-elf girl giggled and looked around past what she believed to be her mother for her elder sister, Bellaluna, but frowned when she saw no one. "Where's daddy?" As the small child spoke, a gasp could be heard down the hall as an elderly woman rushed down the hall to scoop the child up into her arms, bowing in apologies to the Lady prince. "I am terribly sorry, my lady. She heard you had come home and simply wouldn't stay in bed, I'll return her at once, a thousand apologies." The elderly woman then began to turn, but the prince would immediately notice a similar glowing amulet for only a moment beneath the woman's dress collar.
James
"Be sure you return her to bed at once. Any further mistakes will be severely punished." *He commanded her sternly before his eyes caught sight of the amulet. He had thought it a lure trap meant for the would-be thieves of information, but now he knew there was another purpose - perhaps something much more useful to the investigation. That woman may have been Viessa in disguise, or perhaps it was used to control the servants. And undoubtedly, that was the child of Dalyor Agarvaran.

In any case, once they had begun to head off, Astalios quickly unlocked the archive room once again, went behind the wall, and retrieved the amulet that glowed with the strange purple sheen of a spell. He left just as quickly as he returned, and this time, he would be stopped by no one as the Lady Solana Agarvaran made her way to the wayshrine, amulet tucked into Astalios's doublet along with the papers denoting the slavery contracts. 

It was over for them, he knew that. He might as well discard his disguise - but the surprise of it all was necessary if they wanted to make their moves before the Agarvarans could react. He wanted his troops mobilized. The Royal Guard was already poised to take them prisoner at the end of the ball - they controlled the wayshrine home, and would detain the Lord and Lady should he come back and give the signal.

Now, if was time to send such a signal.

Astalios walked through the wayshrine, and came out inside the castle, seen only by his guards, who had blocked access to the room for the time he had been investigating. He hurried back to his room through the passage, met the mage who had been posing as him.

The illusions dropped, the amulet and files encased in an iron shell for safekeeping, and embedded in the Prince's wall.

He thanked the mages and the soldiers, gave a quick nod to the guard captain present that indicated he had found the material he needed.

Now, it was time to return to the party and give a speech.*

*His stride to the balcony of the ballroom was now unbroken, his gaze unveiled by any deception. He was now himself again, a more fitting arrangement for someone about to seal the alibi. What would he say? The speech was true - he was getting to the age where he needed to find a wife. If anything happened to his father, he would be king indeed, not just prince. He changed from his white and gold doublet into full royal dress, the black stag on a yellow field featuring prominently as he donned the ceremonial crown, pure gold decorated with antlers, and a cape that draped itself over his shoulders.

And now, he had to make a speech. On this front, he was much less accomplished than on the battlefield... 

A herald in the royal finery preceded him to the balcony and called the court to attention. The music halted, the couples and nobles dancing stalled, and the room held its breath as the trumpets finished their salute. 

The herald cleared his throat.* "His Majesty, Prince Astalios Dilitirios of Alynthi, The Quicksilver, The Silver Stag, the Iron Prince." 

*He followed the man onto the balcony, looked out over the noblemen there present. His father and mother watched from over his shoulder, ready for the announcement to proceed. He gave a sharp wave, then cleared his throat.*

"Lords and ladies of the court, I must thank you one and all for appearing to this ball. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the castle once again, and the ties that bind the aristocracy of Alynthi have been strengthened by this night. It is through all of your dedication and hard work that we have managed to pursue the safety and prosperity of the kingdom we all call home."

"As I have come home from campaign these past two years, I have been repeatedly reminded of legacy, and what it means to make your mark on the world. What do we intend to leave behind?"

"The king and queen have left me behind, and secured the future of the kingdom as their legacy. It is my hope that I should work as hard as they have to establish the same peace that we are quite proud of - and to accomplish this, I will need to leave a legacy myself."

"Therefore it is my happy honor to announce that it has come time," *His voice carried throughout the room, filling every corner.* "For me to begin courting a future Queen of Alynthi. Effective immediately." *He winced internally at the delivery of the speech. It sounded more like an order than a happy beginning.*

"May the gods guide us all to a happy future - and thank you all for coming to the ball! I hope to see you at many more!" *He finished off his short speech with an open end, implying that he would host more for the purpose of finding a wife. There was so much wrong with his phrasing, of course... But it had been said and done, and the chatter resumed after a round of applause that thundered through the ballroom.

Time to face the music.*
Jose
As the prince was announced, all present turned their attention upward toward the balcony, the music that once played stopped and the loud conversations now silences or a dull murmur. Many wondered just what it was that the prince planned on saying. Ladies whispered to one another fervently, while lords simply watched on most likely a bit more bored than their wives. As the prince spoke on, however, all voices became completely silent at the mention of the king and queen, but gasps and whispers soon erupted when Astalios announced he'd be looking for a lady to court and eventually marry into the royal family. A queen to be caused all the ladies, even the much older ones, to look around at one another in a giddy excitement, including that of Lady Solana.

Not for herself of course, but for Bellaluna. She began to whisper and mumble to her daughter, but Bellaluna looked up at the prince, her eyes filled with unhappiness. Not that she disliked the prince by any means, but the last thing she wanted was to be forced into a marriage with someone she had yet to come to love or even know more past a simple conversation about colors. All she could do was nod to her mother who was most likely pushing her to court the prince, get the Agarvaran name even higher than it already was. The ambitiousness of the family was as plain as day.
James
*Astalios was grateful, then, that her mother and father were no longer going to be a concern. At least Bellaluna was going to be spared the consequences of the announcement. What could he do for now? Smile at her? Laugh? Wink? There would be numerous implications in everything he said and did, so the best move for the moment was to do nothing. Any sign of favor would mean he only amplified the efforts being made by Lady Solana. He didn't wish to enact any more punishment upon her.

It would soon be over, anyway. Not the ball, no - but the long history of being pushed around by Lady Solana. He was proud of his portrayal, as the prospect of power seemed to excite her and the servants seemed to fear her. Every move she made was harsh - and perhaps it was not unbelievable that he had played her well. Now, with the documentation he required, Lady Solana was unlikely to be bullying any of her family for the rest of her life.

And here they went. He descended the stairs to the ballroom floor, ready to immerse himself in the flurry of ball gowns that were soon coming...*
Jose
Immersing himself into a flurry of gowns would be a *Bit* Of an understatement, but correct nonetheless. While Bellaluna seemed to drag her feet as Lady Solana pushed her to go interact with the prince, many more ladies young and old curtsied and offered their greetings as the prince passed them by. Some giggled nervously, others took in the prince's more *Private* Features like vultures, and even more stayed back anxiously, probably knowing they never stood a chance. Nevertheless, Lady Solana grabbed Bellaluna and practically forced her over through the other women before curtsying low and elegantly for Astalios.

"Good evening, your majesty. I am Lady Solana Aeryn Agarvaran, and this is my beautiful daughter Bellaluna. I'm not sure you if you two have met or not-" Bellaluna rolled her eyes at her mother's obvious lie, shaking her head as she averted her eyes from the prince. "-but allow me to say thank you graciously for an invite to your ball. We Agarvarans have been enjoying ourselves tremendously."
James
"Well met, my Lady. It is my pleasure to have you and your family at the ball. As a matter of fact, I have indeed met Bellaluna before the announcement was made." *He inclined his head to the lady, and once more to Bellaluna. There was no gesture of familiarity, no sign of favor. It was the best he could do to spare Bellaluna at the moment. Just a few more formalities.*

"I hope that you continue to enjoy the festivities." *He gave her a respectful nod that she did not deserve. There was no way that this woman could be experienced with any sort of dignity once one knew what she had done, but he had to fake it for the moment, like Lady Solana and Lord Hagred did daily to pretend that they were not murderous, slaving snakes.*

*He moved past them, trying to make his way to another set of suitors in an attempt to cut the conversation off.*
Jose
As the prince walked off, Lady Solana quickly turned and dragged Bellaluna away. She was obviously scolding her, probably believing her daughter had offended the prince in some way. Nevertheless, other ladies and even a few lords made their way to the prince, offering their chance at a conversation with the single prince. A chance at royalty was something anyone would want. In the distance, Lady Solana could be seen leaving the ballroom with both Lord Hagred and Bellaluna, though they didn't seemed to be in any hurry. Lord Hagred seemed to be sternly talking to Bellaluna as they walked, and it was most likely the two parents intended on having a harsh conversation with their daughter away from prying eyes and gossiping lips.
James
*Working as intended, he supposed, but he did feel bad for Bellaluna. There had to be something he could do for her that wouldn't displease her parents, but wouldn't indicate he had any undue interest in her. Ah, why bother? It was for the rest of the night only... And Astalios needed to seen the half-ruse that he was looking for a lady to court. He was, of course, actually looking.

So he continued on his way, hoping for some good conversation as the night dragged on, and the dances continued.*