Problems With The Queen Selection Contest In Sugar Sugar Rune

Here are some questions and thoughts about the queen selection test in the Sugar Sugar Rune anime and manga series by Moyoco Anno:

(*Warning for possible spoilers for the first episode of Sugar Sugar Rune)

In episode 1 of the Sugar Sugar Rune anime, we find out that Chocolat Meilleure / Kato and Vanilla Mieux / Ice have been chosen to be the candidates for the queen selection test/contest that would determine who will be the future queen of the Magical World.

How were these 2 chosen? What’s the criteria for being one of the candidates for the queen selection contest? How come there are only 2 candidates?

Surely, there are lots of other girls in the Magical World, so how come it’s only Chocolat and Vanilla that have been chosen?

Yes, Cinnamon Meilleure, Chocolat’s mother, was once one of the candidates for the same test, but so what?

Does that automatically have to mean that her daughter should be a candidate as well? Candy Mieux is the queen of the Magical World, but what does that matter with regards to the contest?

If they’re just going to go with royalty, why not just have Vanilla be the queen without the need for the contest? After all, her mother is already the queen anyway, so what does it matter if Cinnamon used to be a candidate? Why does Chocolat Kato need to be a candidate as well? Why aren’t there other candidates?

Chocolat herself expresses surprise at having been chosen to be a candidate and I have to agree with her. Why was she chosen? Why her and not someone else?

Vanilla outright says that she doesn’t want to be the queen. She wants to be a baker and she wants her best friend to be the queen, so why are they still having this contest?

Why can’t she just lose on purpose or something? Then again, maybe Vanilla is still competing because she doesn’t want to disappoint Queen Candy.

Although, from what we’ve seen of the queen so far, she appears to be a very nice and kind person, so there’s a possibility that she might be understanding if her daughter tells her that she doesn’t want to rule the Magical World.

But, even if Candy wouldn’t approve of her daughter’s choices and/or even if Vanilla doesn’t want to disappoint her mother, there’s still a way out of this, isn’t there? Why can’t Chocolat and Vanilla just agree to keep this decision (of letting the former win) to themselves?

What if Vanilla just doesn’t collect hearts? Or what if she just helps Chocolat collect hearts? If asked, she can just say that she’s unable to get hearts. Why not do something like that if she really doesn’t want to be the next queen? What do you think about all this?

*Notes:
- Both Sugar Sugar Rune pics are from Amazon.com; links shown above