Prince Mel was just a young boy when his grandmother Wilma died. Before her last breath, she whispered to him,

“Love is Death’s bane.”

Mel, tears streaking down his face, had gripped his grandmother's hand tightly.

“What does that mean? What do I do, grandmother?” He cried.

Wilma only repeated the phrase, Love is Death’s bane.

So when his father informed him that Courting would begin soon, a lengthy process heirs undergo to choose their spouses, Prince Mel threw a tantrum.

“Why can’t I just bed them?” He shouted.

“We are not disorderly.” Stefan shouted back. “You will get your act together.”

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Unfortunately for Prince Mel, his father always got what he wanted in the end.

***

Once everyone was settled in the Grand Room, Stefan explained the Courting process. How it lasted 66 days. How the women must lead and plan gatherings with the help of the current Ladies in Waiting. How a ball was to be held to introduce the women to the Court of Death in only a matter of days. How they had to impress not only Prince Mel but also the entire Meadows region the Kingdom of Death covered.

Prince Mel watched with a visible frown, while the remaining counsel members were wearing bright, wide smiles. The women, still standing, only nodded as they took everything in. Their postures no longer straightened, but slightly slouched. One woman, one of the twins, even took their shoes off.

After he was done, Stefan stood up and raised a hand in the direction of the ladies.

“Now, ladies.” He said enthusiastically. “Four of you are here because you believe yourselves to be great fits and want to be considered, while two of you are here because I think you would be great fits.”

Prince Mel sat up in his seat.

“Violet, Paloma, Corrine, Lyn, and Corrine, one of you will be the next Queen. Introduce yourselves.”