Her Solara Suite responded the moment she entered.
RoomCore dimmed the lighting to a golden-pink hue, adjusted the scent balance toward neroli and white cedar, and activated emotional atmosphere stabilization. The outer panels filtered into clarity mode, showcasing the curated garden view in perfect silence.
Not security.
Just presence — managed and maintained.
Her breathing was steady. But not effortless.
Her posture was poised. But not automatic.
She didn't need to speak.
Lyric materialized without prompt — blush-gold and gleaming, hovering just behind her left shoulder like a fashion-forward conscience.
"Welcome home, Princess," Lyric said, voice velvet-smooth, the edge replaced with precision.
"Mood profile: unsettled. Posture compensation: holding. Shall I initiate a Velvet Drift immersion, trigger Silence Mode with jasmine overlay... or deliver something chilled for cortisol stabilization?"
Aria didn't move. "What even is a Velvet Drift?"
Lyric's form shimmered faintly — quiet, reassuring.
"Hydro-neural recalibration, dressed like a luxury ritual. No water. No sound. No evidence. Just pressure-mapped jets and chroma-balanced waves simulating weightless oblivion. You'll emerge composed, not cured — exactly what Avalon expects."
Before Aria could reply, NutritionCore slid open a side panel — revealing a single crystal flask. Clear. Chilled. Topped with a vapor dome that shimmered blue.
Magnesium-Tri Complex, cortisol calibrated. Lavender-coded base. Serves one.
Recommended for visibility stress and performance-tier emotional restraint.
Lyric didn't push. She just floated a little closer.
"The system cares, darling," she murmured. "But only as long as you perform through it."
Aria didn't reach for the drink.
She hadn't decided yet what she needed.
She stood for a long time without removing her blazer.
Not thinking. Just... editing.
She knew better than to show anything the system could log.
Veritas didn't just track mistakes. It archived reactions.
And Avalon punished perception more than it punished action.
She exhaled quietly.
"Lyric," she said, voice low. "Is there privacy in the suites? Or does Veritas log everything here too?"
Lyric didn't blink — she was made of light — but her glow dimmed by half a degree.
Lyric's glow softened as she answered — quiet, but certain.
"Surveillance is everywhere, Princess. That's not a flaw. That's Avalon."
"Of course Veritas respects your privacy here. The suite won't publish anything."
"Unless what happens inside becomes... significant. Or a matter of legacy. Or consequence."
"Privacy here isn't absence. It's discretion. The system watches — it just chooses when to remember."
She swiped her ONYX once, and her Veritas profile flickered open — her name glowing beneath the word Meridien, haloed in a pale shimmer of amber.
Just beneath, a new line had appeared, smaller than the rest but unmistakably new:
YOU ARE READING
Valmont Series - Inheritance Code
Teen FictionWhat if your perfect life was just a rehearsal? On their twelfth birthday, Aria and Aiden Lancaster wake expecting luxury, freedom, and the future they were promised. Instead, they're given an ultimatum: Leave everything behind - their friends, thei...
