Prologue

Beatrice stood on the balcony overlooking the palace entrance and watched as her husband, Gabriel, strode confidently down the steps to welcome home his children. It seemed only a few days ago that she stood in this exact very spot, age nineteen, preparing to see one of her stepsons off. It had been four years since then and yet she could remember it as if it were only yesterday. The day that Spencer left to rule over his respective province was the last time she had seen any of Gabriel's sons. Wesley and Laurence had long ago taken up their positions as governors and hadn't retuned home since. But after so many years and a summoning from their father, the infamous Illean princes were united once again.

Beatrice pulled up the sleeve of her jacket and glanced down at the face of her wristwatch. It was eight o'clock; the evening was already upon them.

"Caroline," Beatrice called, waving her head maid over to her side. "Could you please help me downstairs. I'd like to greet my stepsons and their parties."

Caroline nodded and steadied the queen as she returned inside. It had become harder and harder for Caroline to move around the palace over the past few months. Her ankles had swelled to almost twice their original size and her growing stomach made her back ache. Still, the changes to her body didn't stop her from going about her day normally. She was only twenty-three and nobody, not even the child in her belly, was going to stop her from doing what she wanted.

By the time she made it to the top of the grand staircase and began her slow descent, Gabriel and his sons were already waiting for her down below. They were flanked by six young ladies, four of which Beatrice did not recognize.

From the foyer, Gabriel looked up at his beautiful wife. She was lovely in her simple day dress of burgundy muslin, her golden ringlets flowing just past her shoulders. She captivated him, and he struggled to take his eyes off her. The same could not be said for his three sons, whose disgusted expressions made it clear that they did not share their father's opinion.

"My dear," the king said, extending her his hand. Beatrice took it gracefully and came to stand along side her husband. "You should be resting."

Beatrice shook her head. She slid her hand down the curve of her stomach and smiled. She only had two months to go before their large family would welcome another member. But before then, she knew she'd have to mend fences with some of the current members if her child was ever going to grow up in a happy home.

"It would be rude of me to not receive our guests personally," she replied, offering her hand out to Wesley, the oldest of the brothers. His chocolate eyes darkened at the sight of it, but he took it and gently kissed the top.

"Your Majesty," he said, dropping her hand almost immediately after finishing the gesture. "It's a pleasure to see you again." The tone in his voice indicated otherwise, but Beatrice just smiled, not wanting to raise a fuss.

"Prince Spencer, Prince Laurence," she said, extending her hands out to the other two boys. Both complied, but she felt no warmth in either of their greetings. Of course she never expected that, knowing full well their hostility towards her, but she hoped that perhaps old grievances had faded after so much time. Clearly she was wrong.

Still trying to keep up the pleasantries, Beatrice switched her attention to the six girls. She'd met two of them before, both when she had first entered the palace all those years ago. Of course she was queen now and things were different, but she hoped that they'd still be as kind to her as they were back then. She greeted them kindly, hoping they'd return her smiles. When they didn't, Beatrice sighed. The next few weeks were not going to be easy.

A/N: Hello everyone! So this Selection is going to work a little different than most. The three main things you must know beforehand are as follows:

Firstly, this competition is not going to be between the girls, but between the princes. They all have claims to the throne and will be working hard to be the next heir. So your characters can have a different motive than simply winning over the heart of the prince.

The second is that the girls will already be paired up with a prince from the very start. This does not mean that they will stay loyal to this one person throughout the story, so don't worry if you end up wanting your OC to change princes. Since you didn't really get a good glimpse of their personalities in the prologue, I've posted a few characteristics about their personalities to help you with your decision.

Lastly, as of right now, the main obstacle standing in between the princes and the throne are each other, Beatrice, and her unborn child. So do be aware that some sabotage is bound to happen. Will your character be loyal to the queen, their prince, or will they end up helping someone else down the line?

The spots open are:

Spencer: (Best friend) (Girlfriend)

Laurence: (Girlfriend) (Girlfriend)

Wesley: (Wife - can't bear children) (lover)

Characteristics:

Wesley: calm, logical, determined, poised, ambitious, tends to manipulate others from the shadows, is brutally honest and easily bored

Laurence: flamboyant, egotistical, dramatic, impulsive, a little immature at times, caring, outgoing

Spencer: playful, insightful, easy-going, mischievous, daring, likes pranks, is actually cut-throat

All the boys are 22, meaning that they are only 1 year younger than the queen. This, and many other reasons contribute to why they dislike her.

Rules:

1) No Mary-Sues please. Not everyone is going to be nice, talented, or multilingual. Please be realistic.

2) Please send the form through a PM as I will not accept any characters sent through review. Also, please title your PM your OC's name.

3) Please be as detailed and creative as possible. This is not first come first serve. The more detailed, the more I have to go on.

4) You can send in as many OCs as you want, but there is a chance I may not pick any.

Here is the form:

Name:
Age:
Original caste:
Occupation:
Appearance (hair, eyes, height, body shape, etc.):
3 outfits they like to wear (be mindful that it's winter):
Personality:
History:
Family:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Hobbies:
Their prince:
Thoughts on Beatrice:
Their goal while at the castle (marry their prince, help their prince take the throne, take the throne themselves, etc.):
Strategy to accomplish said goal listed above:
How they treat maids:
Two reasons I should select your OC: