The door of the library opened and Princess Andromeda strode inside. She wore the same dress she had on when they went to the Fair earlier. Her middle-length wolf-cut hair strangely framed her face.

"My lady," Proteus exclaimed as he put the book he was reading down.

The royal saw him at once but did not walk toward him. She approached the large wooden shelf and read the titles of the old books displayed on its racks, her fingers daintily caressing the spines. "I told you to call me Andy," she reminded the vampire.

"No one else is here," he reasoned. "Besides, a lowly subject like me can never address a Royal Princess with such a familiar nickname." He still couldn't imagine how the people in this world were able to convince her to be called that way.

Princess Andromeda took a book from the rack and walked toward Proteus with her natural grace. The vampire had always admired how the Princess moved. Her movements were as smooth as flowing water even when she was hunting to kill. She sat on the chair beside Proteus and opened her book. Without looking at the vampire, she said, "You did not have any problem betraying me before."

The words stung. "I was a fool."

"You were," the Princess seconded, "but a right fool." She flipped the page. "You did it for the kingdom you love. For Aurum. And your adoptive father."

"Augustus is not just my adoptive father," he quickly replied. Now may be the right time to tell the royal the truth. She needed to know.

Proteus watched Princess Andromeda pause and look at him with furrowed brows. "What do you mean by that?"

The images transferred to his mind by Magus resurfaced in his head. He explained, "Augustus, the brother of King Aurelius, was married to a noble he did not love. His heart beat for only one woman--a human. Despite the warnings of the royal family, Augustus continued his affair with the human woman until she bore a child."

"Impossible," the Princess exclaimed, "a vampire and a human cannot produce a child."

"But they did. It was a miracle. The baby boy was half-vampire and half-human, with no magic but with a vampire's ethereal beauty. His eyes were bright amber and hair platinum blond."

For a moment, Princess Andromeda just gaped, and then, she said, "You were the baby."

Proteus lowered his gaze. "Yes, my lady. My real father is the Royal Adviser Augustus and my mother is an unknown female human. After she gave birth to me, she was raped and tortured by King Aurelius and the other royals. Her suffering lasted for over a week until her head was finally cut off before an audience during a royal ball. My father screamed in great pain at the sight. Fortunately, they spared my life. I was handed to two vampire servants."

"Then Augustus adopted you."

"He wanted to take care of his own son so he raised me without telling me and the others the truth." His hand cupped his forehead. The information swimming in his brain was too much for his fragile heart. "Princess, all this time, he was plotting a cruel scheme."

The royal's eyes were trained on him. She crossed her arms near her chest, abandoning the book she got from the shelf. "It was revenge. That damn Augustus made a pact with the Savages. Those vile vermins would kill the royal family and the other vampires. But I shouldn't be there, because I am the only vampire in Aurum who could outwit the Savages."

"You are right, my lady, Father needed you out of the kingdom for his plan to succeed. He wanted to annihilate all of Aurum--vampires and humans."

"But wasn't your mother human?"

"She was cast away by her own kind."

Princess Andromeda inhaled and picked up her book. "And, now, you want me to go back to that odious kingdom and help the same weaklings who threw me away like unwanted garbage?"

"You committed treason."

"Ah. Fair enough." She began reading, her eyes carefully scanning the page.

Silence enveloped them. After a while, Proteus spoke again. "What are you reading?" he was curious.

"Something about Heaven and Hell. Can you believe that the people in this world believe in the afterlife? There is a paradise for the good ones and eternal fire waiting for those who are evil. I personally do not want to go to hell but I'd admit, heaven seems a bit boring."

Proteus stared at the royal. "You are studying their culture. Their beliefs. Humans' beliefs." The vampire exhaled and braced himself when he said, "You have changed, my lady." When she did not comment, he continued, "You would have never cut your hair for any reason, but you did. Because you've felt deeply. You were never moved by others before. And, now, you study their culture."

"They are interesting beings."

"And already dear to you." He expected the Princess to deny the obvious fact, but she didn't. "I'm glad you've made friends."

"Friends?"

"Yes, my lady. The group we were with earlier. You listen to them, care for them, and have fun with them. I couldn't believe it when I heard you apologize to them. The Bloodbitch would never do such a thing."

The Princess flipped another page but still did not say a word.

Proteus bared his thoughts, "You are no longer cold and cruel. Deep within you, now, beats a warm heart. You've become kind, my lady, and that kindness would help you be a great Queen of Aurum. You would save the remaining vampires and rule them as a just ruler. The humans would be treated fairly and Aurum would enjoy lasting peace. Every being would be content and happy. It would be like... heaven."

At that, Princess Andromeda shut her book. She looked back at him. "You talk too much, Proteus. Do not paint me as one of the heroines you've read in your romantic novels. Because I am most certainly not one. My only desire is to be the Queen of this world because I crave the power it would bring me. I do not care about the misfortunes of Aurum. As I have said earlier, let it perish."

"But, Princess, we do not belong here." Proteus held the royal's eyes. "Do you really intend to stay in a foreign land away from the place of your birth? Away from where you were raised and where thousands of your memories reside? Are you so willing to give up a piece of yourself just so you could taste power in another land? Is Aurum just a place you could easily abandon?"

"Proteus, I am not as sentimental as you."

Blood tears threatened to spill from the vampire's eyes so he blinked several times. How could he convince the royal to go back to their kingdom? "You have friends here, I am aware of that, and you don't want to leave them. But what about the male soldier? Captain Levi."

Princess Andromeda's grip on the book tightened, and he saw her eyes quiver.

He felt the royal's anguish, so he continued to say, "You love him and his rejection breaks your heart. If we return to Aurum, you will move on and forget him. As for him, he would completely forget you." When he saw the rage simmering in the Princess' eyes, he said, "Magus told me something important. When we go back to our kingdom, all the humans' memories of us here will disappear. Our temporary existence in this world would be completely wiped out. No one would miss us. No one would be hurt because of our absence. We--"

The royal suddenly stood up.

"Princess?"

She approached the wooden racks and put back the book she took. "This doesn't belong with the other books here, but it fits perfectly on this shelf," she said, and then she opened the door and went out of the library.

Before she completely walked away, Proteus shouted so she could hear, "This is not our place, Princess! This is not home!"

The vampire's shoulders shook. He wiped the blood tears that formed in his amber eyes. His heart was heavy and he wanted to break down and sob. What else could he do to change the Princess' mind? As they spoke, another vampire or human might be suffering at the hands of the Savages.

"This could be home, too," a baritone voice said from outside the library. Erwin strode in and stood in front of Proteus' table. His usually calculating blue eyes were tinged with melancholy. "If your efforts to take back your Princess to your kingdom fail, you can make this world your home, too."

Proteus shook his head. "And abandon the kingdom that I love? I cannot do that, Erwin. Not when I know I could still do something."

"What more can you do? Andromeda is already set on staying here."

The vampire frowned. He knew what the Commander was doing. He was finding reasons for Proteus to give up and forget his task. In the few moments that the two have been together, Proteus could not deny the bond that had been formed between them. Erwin was very easy to like. He had a very strong personality. He was dependable and charismatic. The vampire would be lying if he said he wasn't attracted to him, but Proteus could not let himself fall from him. They were of different worlds, destined to be apart. He was bound to leave Erwin.

They could not fall in love.

So, Proteus looked away and said, "We've already talked about this. We should do what is best for both our worlds. I am needed in Aurum as much as you are needed here."

"I know," the Commander answered.

The vampire felt one hand rest at the top of his head. He watched as Erwin leaned closer until their foreheads were touching. This close, he could feel Erwin's warmth, inhale his manly scent.

Erwin whispered, "I will miss you."

With those words, Proteus' heart seemed to crack. How could he feel this way toward someone he was with for only a very short period of time? Was it really possible to have feelings for a stranger you just met?

"I will miss you, too," he honestly answered back with a quivering voice.

Back in Aurum, he did not have a lover. He was contented just staying by the Princess' side. And then, he learned about the cruel vampire ways and the unfortunate plight of the humans in the kingdom. He dedicated all his time for the sake of the betterment of the humans' situation. He did not have time for love. Besides, his heart did not beat for anyone.

But it was beating fast now.

With the human soldier, Erwin Smith, his heart had been dancing in a wild but steady rhythm. And it was alarming him. He should get a hold of himself and focus on what was truly important: saving Aurum.

With the confusion and frustration plaguing his very soul, Proteus felt like crying again. Princess Andromeda refused to rescue the kingdom and his heart was betraying him. Nothing was going right.

Erwin straightened up. "You should give Andromeda some time to think. Despite her declarations of being Queen here, she is still a daughter of Aurum. She spent all her life in your kingdom. Have faith in her," he suggested.

"Y-yes," Proteus squeaked. The Commander was helping him and trying to make him feel better. Oh, how he was falling harder for him-- No! Stupid, stupid feelings. He smiled at Erwin and thanked him. He watched the Commander bow at him and then leave him alone.

The retreating form of the man engraved itself in his mind. In truth, he didn't want to leave him. He could very well leave this world and its interesting customs, but he found it harder each moment to leave Erwin.

He wanted to spend more time with him.

Maybe... now, it was still fine.

Maybe, right this very moment, he could savor the time with the gentle Commander.

Feeling like the clock could stop, Proteus stood up and abandoned his book. He ran after Erwin.