Chapter 152 - High Elves and on Elves

  The princess answered with fidence, and Professor Adrihna listened carefully before her corre.

  “You’re both wrong and right,” Adrihna began. “I asked how a on elf is born, not how they inated. However, your answer is historically accurate within the text of millennia ago. Currently, a on elf is borwo on elves e together.”

  With a swift motion, Adrihna turned a page in her book, and the image on the board shifted to shoair of on elves.

  “A on elf also be born from the union of a on elf and a human. But historically, my elven kingdom and the human kingdom have been culturally distinct, with few venturing outside their own cultures. We elves cherish the simplicity of our lifestyle and regard our kingdom as sacred.”

  Turning ane, the image transformed to dispy a serene and majestic high elf.

  “Only here, iy of Apsalon, will you find on elves living outside the borders of our kingdom, and also in rare unities oher half of the ti,” Adrihna expined. She poio the high elf figure, tinuing, “on elves exist because of this high elf. She lived about two thousand years ago and sealed an alliah the Founding Emperor, uniting the human and elven peoples. From that union, on elves were born, the product of the mixing of our races.”

  Adrihna paused for a moment to take a sip of water, then resumed her expnation with a more ptive tone.

  “My race, the high elves, noticed that on elves had notable differences from us. They do not possess the pale skin, the silver hair, or the ethereal appearanor the mastery over the Light element, which is exclusive to high elves. Over time, our race adopted the term ‘high elf’ and chose to reproduly among ourselves to preserve our lineage and the traits we sider unique. In the eyes of the high elves, on elves were little more than humans with pointed ears. Some rare few, by luck, ied the pnt element, but nothing more.”

  Adrihna flipped the page in the book, and now the image on the board dispyed a on elf woman and a high elf man, as she tinued her narrative. The distin was clear, being even more apparent through her storytelling, drawing the css into the intricacies of her culture.

  “There was a with the on elves,” she said, “as they were assimiting into human culture, which was at odds with the traditions of the inal elves. This raised fears among the high elves that their own culture might vanish. It was then that the Founding Emperor, on his deathbed, decided to divide his vast Empire into three kingdoms.”

  She poio the elf womaed on the board.

  “This is Nemesia, reat queen and a on elf. She respected elven traditions, and by marrying the high elven king from the Rhiannon lihe purest of our race—she united both groups. This uniht cultural harmony and gave rise to the royal lihat governs our kingdom to this day, blending the bloodlines of both on and high elves.”

  Adrihna shot me a brief gnce before turning back to the board.

  “Here’s an iing fact for you all. In history books, you will fiailed information about royal families of the three kingdoms from turies past, but rarely about current families. Details such as the number of family members, their ages, or even their names are kept hidden to preserve their safety. While certain names, like that of the king, are public, most information, even the king’s magical element, remai. This protects the royal family from being exposed through something as simple as buying a history book.”

  She paused, giving the css a moment to reflect before tinuing.

  “Now, I’m going to reveal something even more particur about the High Elf race. As you know, the on elf Nemesia, daughter of the Founding Emperor, married the High Elf king of that time, symbolizing the union of the two peoples. However, few know that the king’s brother, another prince of the Rhiannon lineage, maintained a separate line and, in adhereo the tradition of ‘extreme purity,’ strictly followed this rule. This family refused to mingle, even with h Elves, uhey were deemed worthy. In other words, to this day, the royal family of elves has two branches: one of on elves and another of High Elves.”

  The revetions hung in the air, shedding light on a hidden piece of history that few knew about.

  Wait, the royal family also has High Elves? I thought they were just on elves.

  “Sadly, that brany family perished along with the archduke…” Syvis murmured quietly.

  Oh, that’s right, she’s a princess… Sometimes, her casual way of speaking makes me fet.

  “And, in this room, we have desdants… I mean, a direct desdant of the royal family. Lady Syvis is indeed a direct heir treat queen and, iure, she will occupy the position of ruler of my kingdom,” Adrihna announced with a proud gnce.

  All eyes turo Syvis, and I noticed a few elves, even while seated, making subtle bows. Her face flushed, whily made her appear more distinct.

  Adrihna cpped her hands tain the css’s attention.

  “Does anyone have any questions?”

  Several hands shot up, and Adrihna poio a student nearby.

  “Why is a baby born of a High Elf and a human called a on elf, rather than a High half-elf?” the student asked, curious.

  “To be sidered a High half-elf, one would have to i at least half of the core traits of a High Elf, right?” Adrihna began with a faint smile. “on elves, as they are known, ied only enough elven traits to have pointed ears. Some, if fortunate, may awaken with our trol over pnt mana, but that’s about it. That’s why they were called on elves. Now, to be sidered High half-elves, they would o i far more traits… such as, for instance, our famous silver hair.”

  She said this while avoiding my gaze for a moment, which made me unfortably alert.

  “High Elves do not sider pointed ears as essential, but rather the silver hair,” Adrihna expined, still avoiding eye tact, even as I tried to hold her gaze.

  If anyone finds out, I'm in trouble...

  She gave a slight, clearly fake cough before tinuing.

  “Anyway, half-elves exist when a on elf and a human have offspring. These half-elves have slightly less pointed ears, but the difference is so minimal that we also sider them on elves,” she expined. “Anyone else have questions? This will be oest, and I o cover this biological aspect before we dive into culture.”

  More hands went up, and Adrihed audent.

  “Do High Elves still reproduce exclusively among themselves, or do they now intermarry with on elves?” the student asked.

  Adrihna shot me a quice before looking away again.

  “For two thousand years, High Elves have maintained a pure lineage, reprodug only among themselves. Those who have kept it this way are the ones who have never mingled with humans or on elves. In other words, we High Elves are direct desdants of the first elves,” she said. “No High Elf would dare break this aradition... no one would dream of it…”

  Maybe it’s just because it’s the subject matter, but my luck really is something… now everyone’s going to know how to identify a High Elf desdant.

  "As everyone knows, High Elves rarely fall in love. So it would be practically impossible for a High Elf, with a lineage sidered perfect, to dare break this . If it were to happen, it would only be because of a truly overwhelming love…”

  I felt like the ter of attention, as if everyone were looking at me.

  I’m only feeling this way because I know about myself, right?

  The girl raised her hand again, with that insatiable curiosity that seemed to want to dissect every detail.

  STOP! ENOUGH! NO MORE QUESTIONS!

  “Professor, is it true that the symbol of a High Elf is really not the pointed ears?”

  Adrihna avoided my gaze when our eyes met, my frantic eyebrow movements silently pleading with her to ge the subject. I knew her answers were part of the lesson, but with every word, I felt my disguise slipping through my fingers.

  PLEASE, LIE! MAKE SOMETHING UP, FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS!

  “As this will be oest, I have to answer…” she told the css, though it felt like she ologizing to me.

  “Our hair is silver, and that represents the purity of our species. A desdant of a High Elf who mingled with another race has never ied our plete traits... silver hair is the mark of our species, and only High Elves possess it. We are the only ones in the world to have this color. To identify a High Elf, all you o do is look at their silver hair.”

  I WANT TO DIE...