Beauty Queen

Chapter 1: Fractures in the Facade

Three years later, Ella Thorne resided in a penthouse that kissed the clouds. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the breathtaking, enchanted skyline of Everstar – a city where sleek modern architecture subtly thrummed with ancient, buried magic. To most, it was just a stunning metropolis. To Ella, since the night of her crowning, it was a living, breathing entity of light and hidden song.

Her life was a curated perfection: designer gowns, charity galas hosted under crystal chandeliers that hummed faintly, society pages calling her "Everstar's Eternal Rose." Aris was the perfect husband – handsome, powerful, attentive. He adored her beauty, polished it like his family's priceless heirlooms. Yet, his touch, once electric, now felt like cool marble. His admiration felt like appraisal. His gilded penthouse felt like... a cage.

The magic she saw was her secret. She'd learned to quiet the pulsing lights, to ignore the whispers of power from the city's hidden ley lines beneath the subways. She focused on survival – maintaining the flawless facade, soothing Aris's increasingly possessive moods, hiding the gnawing emptiness. Hope felt like a fragile bird trapped behind her ribs.