About the Royal Family and Their Role.
The royal family is a concept that has existed since the early days of Prism Vale. It has had many names over the years, including Leader, Eminence, Governor, Shepherd, Herald, Head, Protector and more, all which are still valid terms to refer to the current Ruler of Prism Vale. The creation of the monarchy was not standard, as the actual system is in name only for the most part.
During the creation of Prism Vale and the Beanling race, the original seven elected among themselves, with the help of the Creator, a leader of sorts. This leader was purposefully chosen for their ability to empathize with everyone, but also make unbiased decisions. Their purpose is not to necessary dominate or rule over the beanlings, but to act as a shepherd and guide the beanlings into a state of eternal peace and happiness. They must also know when to use force in order to protect rather than harm. Naturally the role has expanded over time to include more responsibilities, but the core values remain the same. The adoption of the title royalty is a relatively new approach with a previous monarch having seen the concept used in the human world and liking it so much that they adopted the title.
The current ruler of Prism Vale is Queen Valerie. They prefer to present as more feminine, mostly because they think that the concept of Queen sounds and looks aesthetically better than King or Leader. They are kind, compassionate, yet stern and resolved. They have been ruling for about 100 years and have been at the helm of the recent surge in growth. Valerie has had to deal with a notable amount of conflict during their rule with the emergence of the Corruption.
The heir to the throne is Princess Twila. They are mostly feminine but have been known for appearing neutral or masculine for certain events. They are somewhat naive, but have learnt a lot under Queen Valerie's guidance. Twila is not biologically related to the current monarch as the line of success is not blood related. The heir is instead decided by divine intervention in a ceremony called The Calling. The ceremony involves all the elders/current guild leaders gathering and infusing their magic in order to produce a new beanling that embodies the perfect ruler. The current ruler will then adopt the beanling and guide them on how to be the best ruler they can be. The idea of an heir might seem pointless as beanlings are essentially immortal, however, the point is that the current ruler will eventually retire and a new, fresh perspective will take over. In fact, you can regularly run into previous rulers hanging around Prism Vale and almost all of them will be seen at palace events.
Anyone may seek the help and guidance of the Queen or Princess, with the Queen often consulted for life altering decisions while the Princess is happy to help with more trivial questions. Of course, if the question is difficult, it may take a few days to get a clear answer. The Queen also often holds events in order to meet the people and talk about things they would like for the future. Feedback is very important to the Royals as their main priority is the happiness of the beanlings and they strive to improve as much as possible.