The correction has barely echoed across the terrace when the herald beckons Valeria, Aurelia, Nestor, and the twins toward a shaded records stall beside the racing offices.
the race official’s herald
Come quietly. This is no renewed accusation. The marked tablet may show who borrowed the Asiaticus name before the clerk seals it.
Castor and Pollux crowd close, their excitement subdued by the official’s grave tone. Nestor keeps the household purse hidden, while Aurelia watches the racing offices.
Nestor
Then let us examine only what is written, and let the public record carry whatever follows. We will not accept an invented obligation.
the race official’s herald
The erased margin is faint, but not empty. A clerk’s scraping may have removed a sponsor’s name, or merely concealed an agent’s hand.
Inside the stall, shaded tablets and wax seals lie arranged beneath a canvas awning. Beyond it, the Circus roars as another race begins, leaving the family a narrow interval.
Aurelia
Look carefully, Valeria. Once the official clerk seals this entry, the truth may remain visible only to those who witnessed it now.
✓ Quest Accepted
Preserve the identifying mark for lawful challenge
“She examines the tablet.”
FAILURE (Fair Investigative Intuition, rolled +0)
Valeria bends over the tablet beneath the awning, angling it toward the daylight. Scraped wax interrupts the margin, but the racing office’s dust dulls its finer traces.
She follows the shallow cuts with her fingertip, careful not to disturb the remaining wax. The erased writing breaks apart before she can recover the sponsor’s name.
the race official’s herald
Do not press harder. The old surface will crumble, and then even the fragments will be lost.
Valeria shifts the tablet beneath the awning’s edge. A slant of sun catches a second impression beneath the scraping: three short strokes beside a partial clerk’s mark.
Nestor
That is not a wagerer’s sign. It resembles a filing notation. Ask which clerk handled the register before this tablet reached the herald.
The attempt has not restored the erased name, but the surviving notation opens another path. The herald sets the tablet beside the public register, preserving both for comparison.
Quest Complete
Preserve the identifying mark for lawful challenge