Esther 2:12
“Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)”
KJV
Read in Esther 2Meaning
The lengthy preparation emphasizes how formalized and controlled the selection process is. Esther's rise occurs within a highly regulated royal system rather than through an ordinary courtship.