Valmont Series - Inheritance Code

Chapter 5.3 - Visibility Index : Activated

"She never recovered her profile," Allegra said. "Veritas reclassified her as compromised. Prestige rank collapsed within days — from Meridien to unranked."

A pause.

"She rose too fast," Allegra said, tone even.

"And the moment she linked him, she started acting like a Sovereign. She started appearing at events she wasn't invited to. Correcting people in public. Hosting 'open' events and only inviting Sovereigns. She started repositioning herself mid-conversation — interrupting anyone with under-Sovereign tier."

She stirred her drink again, but this time slower.

"She wasn't dangerous. Just loud. Uncalibrated. And worst of all — uncultured."

Her tone stayed even.

"So when the break happened — public, visible — the system didn't just watch. It recalibrated."

Aria raised an eyebrow. "She left?"

"Maybe," Allegra said. "Some say she's still here. Just... off the feed. No rank. No circles. No signal."

Aurora frowned faintly. "That sounds harsh."

"It was," Allegra agreed.

"But people noticed. And quietly? No one missed her."

Aria took another slow sip, then deadpanned:

"Great. So I just have to make sure Luc doesn't unlink me."

Allegra's smile didn't fade, but her tone shifted — not judgmental, not dramatic. Just quietly instructional.

"Most Prestige breaks aren't like that," Allegra said, still calm.

"Unlinking is rare in Avalon," Allegra said smoothly.

"It only really happens when association turns into liability—crime, scandal, collapse. The kind of disgrace that makes association dangerous."

She sipped her crème.

"Romantic breakups? Those happen. But most people stay linked — as a legacy trace. Proof of former alignment. It's seen as stable. Civilized."

She gave a small shrug, almost elegant.

"Deleting it just because the relationship ends?"

"That reads as emotional. Reactionary. Unfit for strategic visibility."

She set the glass down with a soft, deliberate clink.

"Stability — even post-breakup — is more valuable than a clean slate."

Then Allegra opened her Veritas profile with a flick of her ONYX.

Near the top, beneath her rank and House alignment, a new line had already appeared:

Seen at Veritas Gallery with: Waldorf / Lancaster

Preferred Order: Starblossom Crème

Visibility Tier: Active – Monitored

She tilted the screen slightly toward them — not boastful, just factual.

"The more they watch," she said lightly, "the more Veritas fills in.

Trigger enough curiosity — and the feed starts auto-generating details more frequently.

What you drink. Where you sit. Who you're with.

It becomes constant."

She gave a small shrug.

"If you're irrelevant, Veritas only logs the minimum.

But once you're marked?"

A pause.

"It's like having a silent paparazzi — always watching, never asking."

She glanced at Aria's profile.

"You're on Watchlist now. It's prestige... but it's not exactly peace."

She enlarged the projection just enough for them to see it — not performative, just fact.

The system had already logged them together.

No confirmation required.

Updated. Logged. Visible.

Aria said nothing.

Her hand drifted to the ONYX out of reflex.

But it wasn't reflex.

It was avoidance — or reassurance. She wasn't sure.

She lifted it anyway, tracing two fingers along the edge.

Veritas opened like a dossier.

She flicked once. Sorted the profiles.

Aiden Lancaster

House of Echelon

Meridien Tier – Level 8

Feeds: Access Privileges Disabled

Of course.

She didn't know why she checked.

Only that she had.

Allegra noticed.

"You can opt out," she said smoothly.

"But then you disappear. And so does everyone else."

She took another sip.

"No visibility. Unless you authorize your own exposure."

She set her glass down, the rim catching the light.

"That's the trade," she said quietly.

"Privacy... but you forfeit perspective."

A pause.

"Only Sovereigns can override that — they can view without being seen."

She glanced at Aria.

"Archons? They don't get that luxury. They can preapprove what Veritas posts... but they can't bypass the system entirely."

"Solarians never turn it off. Visibility is their currency — influence, movement, appearance. You go dark, you fall."

She set her glass down.

"Privacy's a luxury. But in some Houses?"

A faint smile.

"It costs your rank."

Next: Surveillance With Better Lighting – Aurora thought Avalon meant freedom. It meant exposure.