What a weird person, Erwin thought.

At first, the stranger inside the library hugged his own body tightly in an obvious attempt for defense, but after he had looked into Erwin's eyes and heard him speak, he soon relaxed. It was as if, in that very brief moment, he found something in Erwin's eyes and decided to give his trust to the soldier.

"I-I-I am Proteus, son of Augustus, from the great kingdom of Aurum. I am here to bring back Her Royal Highness, Princess Andromeda, back to Cruor Castle," the stranger said as he stepped forward. "Do you know where I could find her?"

Kingdom of Aurum? Where in the world was that? And did the stranger say Andromeda? Erwin was positive he had heard that name somewhere. "I don't seem to understand what you're saying," he told the man honestly.

"Oh. Right..." The stranger bit his lip. He seemed to think deeply and then continued to blabber, "I am from another world. I came here through the portal conjured by the Royal Sorcerer with the task of retrieving the Princess. Our kingdom was attacked by my father, with the aid of the Savages. His goal is to kill every human and vampire in Aurum. I must seek Princess Andromeda's help before our kingdom perishes."

Had this man completely lost his mind? He was talking nonsense. Another kingdom. Sorcery. And vampires. This was one crazy man. Erwin didn't know what to say or do. How do you deal with a madman?

The stranger's bright amber eyes suddenly lit up, seemingly remembering something. "Vampires!" he exclaimed. "There must be other vampires here. That's where the Princess would go. She would certainly like to be with her kin!" His head turned to the left and then to the right. "So, where are they, good sir?"

"They?"

"The vampires. Or... are you one of us?"

Erwin gaped as the stranger stared innocently at him. He looked sane enough but had been saying crazy things. Erwin inhaled and then said, "There are no vampires."

The other man tilted his head, his brows furrowed. "Aren't there vampires in here? Then, outside the castle, perhaps?"

"There are no vampires."

"In the villages outside the citadel-"

"Vampires do not exist," he sternly stated the hard fact. He was getting tired of listening to foolishness. He should just let the man be and continue reading his book.

But when the Commander was about to exit the library, he heard the stranger ask, "Then what am I?" The man looked seriously confused. "I am a vampire." He must've sensed Erwin's disbelief because he walked closer to the Commander and grabbed his arm. Slowly, the stranger rolled up Erwin's sleeve to bare the arm and then opened his mouth wide. Soon, the man's teeth seemed to transform and grow fangs.

They. Grew. Fangs.

Erwin's eyes widened. He was startled, washed with fear. He quickly took his arm away and stepped back. What kind of trickery was this? What was this creature? No human could turn their teeth into fangs like that. Was the stranger truly a vampire? Did he really speak the truth? That he was someone from another world, another kingdom, and now was in search of a lost Princess?

No way.

But, weren't the fangs enough evidence of his story? He couldn't be a human. He could only be a... vampire.

The library's doors opened and two male nobles strode in. They were laughing and chatting with each other as they headed to the shelves near Erwin and the stranger. Immediately, the Commander took his coat and covered the man's hair and face. His first instinct was to hide him. If what this man said was true, then he was an anomaly in this world. He couldn't just tell anybody what he told Erwin or show his real form. He would cause a commotion. Many would like to test if what he said was true. And then, he would be sliced and experimented on.

They must be careful.

"Who came in? Are they vampires?" asked the stranger. He tried to peek through the coat but Erwin readjusted the piece of clothing to further hide his face.

Erwin led him toward the door. "It's not safe here. Let's talk in my room."

Whenever they passed by other people, the Commander would shield the man from their sight. When they reached the room, Erwin immediately locked the door. He looked at the vampire, noting his features. He was beautiful. Too beautiful, actually. But he looked too human. "What was your name again?"

"Proteus," he replied.

"Proteus, can you bare your fangs like before? I want to see it." He needed to make sure what he saw was true and that he wasn't losing his mind. Proteus did as he asked and Erwin exclaimed, "Unbelievable!" It was real. Determined to learn every truth the stranger had to offer, he made him sit on his bed. "Tell me everything about your kingdom."

Proteus didn't know where to start so Erwin guided him with his questions. Soon, the Commander learned about the royal family of Aurum, the royal court, the social strata of the vampires, and the lack of rights of the humans in their kingdom. He was informed of the grave situation of Aurum. All the members of the royal family were brutally killed by other vampires they called Savages. Only Princess Andromeda was left to be heir. Although their kingdom was patriarchal and hadn't had a female ruler before, they were willing to give the throne to Andromeda as long as the heiress saved Aurum. According to the vampire, she was the one who led the kingdom to victory against the Savages almost a hundred years ago. The Royal Sorcerer believed she could defeat them once more.

"So, do you know where the Princess Andromeda is?" Proteus was hoping for a positive answer.

Andromeda... Erwin swore he'd heard that name before. But where? A vampire princess lost in their world... Suddenly, a memory assailed his mind. He recalled an image of a mysterious woman the Scout Regiment found in the middle of a forest within Wall Maria. She claimed she had no memory of her past and her identity but she remembered her name. Her name was... An... dromeda! Yes! Hange had called her Andy and she stayed with the Scouts.

"This Princess of yours, does she have long black hair and translucent gray eyes?" Erwin asked the vampire.

Proteus' eyes lit up. "Indeed! She has. And the Princess is very beautiful. Have you seen her?"

"Yes. I think I know where she is."

"Where? Please take me to her! I must see her!"

The vampire was ready to exit the room but Erwin stopped him before he did something stupid. "Calm down, Proteus. You can't just waltz in any other room and let others know of your true identity. Your situation here is fragile. You should stay in this room. You'll be safe here."

"But, the Princess! How could I see her if I just stay in here?"

"She's with the Scouts and most of them are heading here in Mitras. They'll be here the day after tomorrow. We could ask them about this Princess then."

Proteus bit his lip and Erwin gazed at the gesture. For a moment, the vampire stayed silent while he seemed to size up the Commander. Finally, he said, "You seem to be confident. I will trust you. I shall wait here until your comrades reach this castle. They should know how I could meet Princess Andromeda."

"Okay." Glad of the vampire's response, Erwin stood up straight and decided it was fine to leave him. "I need to eat dinner with the other Commanders. We'll have a short meeting after that. Do not leave this room. You can sleep on the bed. I'll get you something to eat later." After Proteus nodded his head, Erwin headed out.

That was... fascinating, he admitted.

The Commander realized he was trembling a little as he walked through the halls of the royal castle. A vampire in his room. A real, true-to-life vampire. And a beautiful one at that. Never in his life had he imagined something like this would happen to him. He breathed in. Suddenly, the meeting with the Commanders paled in comparison with the conversation he could share with Proteus. Maybe, the vampire could help the humans in this world against the titans.

He reached the dining hall and reluctantly entered it.

The dinner and meeting lasted for hours. When Erwin went back to his room, it was past midnight. He expected to see Proteus sleeping soundly in bed, but he saw the vampire seated on his desk, attention glued on the book he was reading. Good thing Erwin brought him pieces of bread to eat.

The Commander placed the food on the desk. Proteus looked up to him, smiled, and thanked him.

"I'm sorry I took your book without permission. I am very curious about the humans in this world. It is certainly amazing! Your humans are living like vampires. Very much unlike the humans living in the pens in Aurum. Your Royal Government is being ruled by a human! You have this Military with soldiers and it has three divisions. They protect the citizens within the walls. But I don't understand the subject of titans. What exactly are they?"

"You'd like to know about them?"

"Yes, good sir, I'd very much like to know everything about this world."

Erwin looked into the vampire's bright amber eyes. He was sincerely curious and the Commander was itching to share everything he knew with this beautiful stranger. He took another chair and settled beside Proteus. First, he told him about the walls and the hardships of the people in their fight against the titans. And then, he told him all he knew about the mysterious creatures.

"But where did these titans come from? And what happened to the humans before they caged themselves within the walls?" the vampire asked innocently.

"T-that," Erwin stuttered. He had asked those questions many times. He'd been curious about them as well although nobody else had posed the same questions. Except his father. Hadn't his father's theory that the king had altered the people's memory of life before the walls to control them better taken away his life?

"Well?" Proteus patiently waited for his answer.

Erwin closed his eyes and opened them again. How long had he wanted to share his father's theory again with someone else? This stranger was so curious that he was strongly tempted to share it with him.

Maybe, it was alright.

The vampire was from another world anyway.

The Commander cleared his throat. "My father and I had a theory..." Just like that, he bared his soul to the stranger. Proteus eagerly listened, sometimes asking meaningful questions. Erwin felt light, as if his soul was flying as he shared his knowledge and secrets to the vampire. He wanted to say more and share more. And he did. The two of them talked all night.

When morning came, Proteus yawned and Erwin suggested that he finally rest. Obediently, the vampire climbed to bed. He gestured beside him. "Would you like to sleep with me?"

Erwin almost choked on his own spit. He needed to compose himself before declining Proteus' offer. Because, in a quick second, images of their bodies fitting each other flashed inside his mind. He immediately mentally shook his head. He shouldn't think like that. The vampire was as innocent as a newborn puppy.

At last, Proteus fell asleep. Erwin covered his frail body with the sheets and watched his ethereal face. He really was beautiful. His soft hair was platinum blond and his lashes were long. His lips were small but plump and Erwin liked it when he pouted whenever Erwin told him something hard to understand. Patiently, the Commander offered detailed explanations until the subjects were clearer and better understood by the vampire.

He honestly hoped Proteus could find his Princess soon and finally be free of the burden he was carrying.

Erwin went to his shelf and read the titles of the books he had displayed, trying to remember what they were about. He took some of them and placed them on his desk. Maybe, Proteus would like to read them to know more about the humans in this world.

He couldn't wait to talk to the vampire again.

Erwin smiled.