"I bet Alsha has forgotten all about me!" The blonde girl drew her face tight. "She came back and didn't even tell me!"
"Your Highness Eileen, I'm pretty sure I told you when I'd return to the Royal Capital in my letter last week." Matthew pursed his lips and sighed helplessly.
The blonde girl before him was Eileen Seale. She had delicate features and wore an emerald-green off-the-shoulder gown with long white gloves that reached past her elbows. Golden hair spilled over her fair shoulders, and a thin fishtail braid framed each side of her face, lending her a playful air.
Eileen Seale was the daughter of the acting speaker of the Court Wizards and a cousin of the Blizzard Kingdom's current King.
Her slightly pointed, elongated ears showed that she had Long-Ear Tribe blood.
The Long-Ear Tribe of the Wizarding World closely resembled the elves Matthew knew of. They could use magic from birth, were far more beautiful on average than ordinary humans, and had lifespans humans could never match.
But they had a fatal weakness: an extremely low birth rate.
Members of the Long-Ear Tribe were emotionally insensitive and rarely experienced strong feelings. Coupled with their very low chance of reproducing successfully, this had driven pure-blooded members of the tribe to extinction thousands of years ago.
Everyone with Long-Ear Tribe blood today was a human Half-blood.
Interbreeding with humans seemed to have repaired their genetic flaw. Half-bloods were no longer emotionally insensitive; most were quite passionate. They also inherited some of the tribe's Magic Talent and lived longer than pure-blooded humans. Even those who never became Formal Wizards could live for two or three centuries.
The Seale Royal Family of the Blizzard Kingdom carried Long-Ear Tribe blood, and Eileen Seale was one such human Half-blood.
"You didn't say