The bells pealed as Levi and Andromeda rode toward the gates of Wall Rose.

It was magnificent, the wall. Tall and splendid. How mere humans were able to make such a beautiful and sturdy thing, Andromeda didn't know. Maybe there was a hint of intelligence within the human brain, after all.

The gates opened and welcomed them inside, where the rest of the remaining humans of this world resided, according to Hange's tales. If the titans were so powerful, how were the walls successfully built? Didn't the titans attack them while building it? She stared at the tall, smooth structure as Levi and she entered the gate.

"Captain Levi! You're Captain Levi of the Scout Regiment, aren't you?" A sweating middle-aged soldier approached them. He was wearing the same brown and white uniform but the insignia on it wasn't two-colored wings but two roses. He informed the Captain, "The Scouts came back yesterday. Many were lost. They told us you might have been, too. What happened?" He guided Levi's horse toward the town.

The Captain answered, "I fell off a cliff and this woman saved me."

"My! It's good you survived." Then he looked at Andromeda. "You must be proud, young miss, you just saved Humanity's Strongest Soldier."

Humanity's strongest soldier? Levi? Well, he actually could be. The human was insanely strong. She had watched him in action. "He needs to live," was her honest reply to the older soldier.

Their horses were taken by other soldiers. Andromeda told them that she'd like to be the permanent rider of the white mare with black hair. In her mind, she already named it Nox, which meant night.

Levi and she rode a carriage being pulled by two horses. Inside was narrow and as Levi sat in front of her, their knees touched. Two soldiers with the rose insignia accompanied them on their journey toward the Scout Regiment's barracks.

"How much do you remember now?" Levi asked Andromeda during the bumpy ride.

The vampiress shook her head. "Still nothing else but my name."

"Amnesia?" One of the soldiers inside the carriage asked.

Levi answered, "Maybe. We found her in the middle of the forest in Wall Maria. She was dirty and her clothes were torn but she didn't have a single wound. Weird. I wonder where the hell she came from and why she was there."

"Someone survived unscathed within those woods?" The other soldier exclaimed.

"She did." Levi's eyes bore into Andromeda's. "You better not be hiding something from us."

One of the vampiress' brows lifted. She was just threatened by a mere human. Oh, she was shaking. She almost laughed at her own sarcasm. But she just lied to the soldier, "I wouldn't even dream of it."

The rest of the ride was quiet. Andromeda peered out of the window and observed the town outside. It was sandy but clean. Humans in their commoner clothes go by their businesses. Some sold things in stalls while others bought supplies or simply passed by. In a corner, a couple of burly men were chatting loudly and drinking alcohol. More soldiers with the rose insignia patrolled the busy place. It looked nice and peaceful. It almost looked like a vampire's city. So unlike the town where the humans in Aurum lived.

Within the pens (that's what they called the place where they kept the humans), humans did not have anything much to do. Food and supplies were bestowed by the great vampire race. What they did during their free time, the vampires didn't care. The humans just needed to be present during blood-letting. Humans who misbehaved or showed animosity against their masters (the vampires) were punished and used as prey during Hunts. To avoid making the humans extinct, Hunts were limited and copulation among the humans was highly encouraged.

The horses neighed and their carriage stopped. They had reached the barracks. It was more humble than the image in Andromeda's mind. Instead of a gargantuan structure with concrete walls and many rooms, in front of them was a cottage of wood and hay. Scouts littered the area and Hange ran toward them as soon as she saw them.

"Andyyy!!" She tried to hug Andromeda but the vampiress stepped aside, making the Section Commander stumble forward and catch no one but air. "How cold," she pouted. And then she faced Levi and said, "Good job on delivering Andy back. There are sooo many questions she needs to answer."

"I didn't deliver her back, she saved me and made sure we went back to the wall safely," Levi replied with his usual frown.

"Really?" Both of Hange's brows lifted up. "She's really something, isn't she?" The Section Commander stared hard at Andromeda, making the vampiress uncomfortable. She knew the human was studying her, inch by inch. Then, Hange grabbed both her hands. "You look terrible! You must want to get out of those clothes. I'll tell Nifa to lend you some and then you can come with us to the market! Seeing things might make you remember something."

That wasn't such a bad idea. Andromeda was itching to get out of her clothes and she'd like to study more about the humans in this world. "Thank you, Hange-san," she said with a smile, staring back into the Section Commander's eyes.

Hange blushed. "I-I-- O-of course," she stuttered.

Soon, Andromeda was dressed in Nifa's clothes. It was a tight-fitting plain blue dress with sleeves that touched her wrists. So simple and light it was that it reminded the vampiress of her underclothes. She stared at herself in front of the full-length body mirror.

"Are you certain I can wear this to the marketplace?" she asked the female soldier who settled behind her.

Nifa replied, "Sure. I don't use it much anyway. Just on very special occasions. It suits you very well!"

This? This... this!! Andromeda wanted to tear it and give it back to the human. Never had she thought that she would be dressed in common human clothing. It was utterly degrading. "What are you doing?" she asked as Nifa suddenly took a portion of her hair and started twirling it.

"Your hair is so soft and shiny, Andy. Let me braid it for you." The vampiress resisted the urge to slap the offending hands away as she listened to the soldier talk, "I'm from a small town inside Wall Rose, lived with my parents and a little sister. I was never someone to dress and wear makeup but my sister enjoyed being pretty. She would ask me to dress her in the most beautiful clothes we could afford and make me braid her long brown hair. I used to decorate it with wildflowers. She liked that very much." Andromeda only grunted. Nifa asked her, "Do you have a sister that you love, Andy?"

The vampiress didn't reply. She never once felt an ounce of sisterly love for her 16 half-sisters back in Aurum. She only wanted them dead.

"Oh, right. You can't remember." The soldier put ribbons on Andromeda's hair and then said, "There. All set. Now, we go."

In the market, people parted and gave way to Andromeda and her group. Not because they looked up to and respected the Scout Regiment, but because it was the first time they saw someone as beautiful as her. They stared and gaped as the vampiress passed by the crowd.

Hange couldn't contain her giggles. "This is excellent," she said, "we will be given more discounts."

"Section Commander, don't tell me that's what you were thinking when you asked Andy to come with us?" A tall male soldier asked.

The Section Commander shook her head. "You wound me, Moblit. I would never use Andy like that."

"Fresh meat! Fresh meat right here, beautiful miss in blue!"

"This meat here is better!"

"Spices! Get your spices here, pretty lady!"

"Hey miss, don't forget to buy some vegetables!"

"Flour, yeast, and everything to make a delicious bread! Buy them here!"

It was like the whole market was trying to get Andromeda's attention. Hange looped one hand over her arm and led her to a stall that sold different kinds of meat.

The bald, fat vendor in white sando smirked at the Section Commander. "I am not fond of you Scouts, receiving our hard-earned taxes just to turn yourselves into titan food." Then, he flashed an ugly smile at Andromeda. "But for the young miss here, I'm willing to give you the finest meat at the lowest price."

"Uh-huh." Hange nodded and ordered enough meat for the soldiers staying at the barracks. Andromeda learned earlier that the other soldiers headed to the training grounds further inside the wall to resume physical exercises. Nifa said they should be ready for the next expedition outside the wall. Only Levi's and Hange's squads were left in the barracks, together with the injured ones who needed to heal first.

They bought as much as they could with enough change for bottles of booze. "A little treat for us," Hange said as she chose among the bottles. "Oops." When she turned, one of her hands wound around the thin wrist of a dirty boy around 10. "And what do you have there with you?" She took back her purse from the boy.

The little boy's eyes flared with anger, as though he was not wrong. "Let me go! Father said the Scout Regiment is a group of insects, not soldiers. Your money came from the townspeople, like my dad. There's nothing wrong with taking them back from you!"

Nifa was the one who answered. "What we do, boy, is for the sake of all humanity. We need to know more about the titans and to do that someone must go to their territory."

"Bleh!" The boy showed them his tongue. "Idiots! Idiots! Idiots! I hope the titans eat you all!" He kicked Hange's leg and then shouted, "The Scout Regiment is hurting me! Help!"

Irritated, Andromeda took the boy from Hange and stared him down. "Shut up. At least they're not criminals. Thieves like you should have their hands cut off and then put inside a jar of fire ants. I could easily do that to you."

With her piercing vampire gaze, the boy cowered and almost pissed his pants.

"Andy, he's just a kid," said Nifa. "And people are watching."

Andromeda released the boy and watched him run away. So, the Scout Regiment wasn't exactly viewed positively by most humans. How could she use them to achieve her goal then? She thought she could think of a way to somehow get closer to the King of this land through the influence of the Scout Regiment. Now, she doubted whether that influence even existed.

However, when they reached the barracks, Andromeda saw light. Their group was welcomed by Petra, who told them Levi had an important announcement from their Commander, the one called Erwin. Hange told the vampiress that she could wait in her room but she declined. Whatever announcement that was, she wanted to hear it. It might be important, and later on, she would find out that it was.

Levi's squad was scattered around the big wooden table. Hange and the Fourth Squad, her team, sat side by side. "What does it say, Levi?" she asked.

The Captain answered, "One of the King's nieces, Princess Emmeline, gave birth to a prince. There's going to be a week-long celebration in Mitras, the capital, and the Scout Regiment is invited."

There! Finally! A damn chance to be close to the King and the royal family! Andromeda must go with them to Mitras!

"We're all going?" asked Hange.

"Erwin said only those who want to go should. But you and I were tasked to join. Commander in Chief Zackley wants to see us there."

"Okay. Who will go with us?" The Section Commander looked at her squad.

Two soldiers, Moblit and Nifa, said they would.

"I'll go, too. Take me with you." Everybody in the room stared at Andromeda as she spoke.

Levi's brows furrowed. "The fuck are you saying? You're a civilian. Only the Scouts are invited to go."

"That's true, Andy," Hange said, "You still don't remember where you're from, it would be really hard to acquire a pass for you to go inside Wall Sina."

Andromeda breathed in. She should convince the soldiers to bring her along and she knew exactly what to do. "You told us that all Scouts who want to go can go there, right?"

"Yeah..."

The vampiress flipped her braided black hair. "Then, I'll be one of you. Make me a part of the Scout Regiment. Turn me into a soldier."