3 Chapter 2 - Dream and Reality

Sparta's palace was nothing like she had ever imagined. Not as simple as the image shown in the 300 movie or as grand as the medieval castles in the Game of Thrones series.

Sparta was a respected kingdom in Greece and was known for the toughness of their warriors. She was not sure if the boys here were really trained in martial arts from an early age—because she was still reluctant to asked many questions.

She was still scared. This all too strange for her. She was definitely not Portia, yet everyone calls her princess. She wasn't understand. How could her soul had been transferred to the body of another girl —who lived two thousand years ago? A bit of logic in her mind made her still believed that —maybe she was involved in a super-sophisticated and expensive television entertainment project.

The entire stone building—which is almost half made of marble, as well as the carvings of the statues of the gods around it — are probably just filming properties. Her physique, which transformed into a blonde Greek princess with a face like the fairies—was probably the result of the hard work of skilled surgeons.

People who greeted her while bowed, and dressed in old-fashioned clothes might as well be paid. They could all be actors.

However, as an actress, she knew. No modern era colossal film uses original properties for all its scenes. Most of the mind-blowing action scenes are done on green screens and edited using sophisticated computer skills. The term is CGI.

If this was all just a setting, the producers would have gone crazy. First he will made the company go bankrupt. Secondly they had broke the law by did all that to her. Kidnapping and drugging also the application of plastic surgery without consent—All of that was enough to keep them imprisoned for a long time.

Moreover, all of that was just for a single prank event that was not profitable enough. it didn't made any sense at all.

How about lucid dreams? Like in the film Inception, starring Leonardo Dicaprio—it was said that humans can controlled dreams that felt very real. Jill used to studied it for fun. There are several things people can do if they suspected they were in a lucid dream situation. First, look for a watch or wall clock. If the needles are odd or there are more than two, it was most likely a lucid dream.

But she couldn't found the clock anywhere. This is ancient Greece. She couldn't tell the time except when the sun was just rose and set.

The second way is to looked at the palms and counted the number. If her finger is more than five or less, it meant she is still in dreamland. She felt her heart beat faster when she made sure that her finger was complete.

She wasn't dreamed. It was all real.

After that, the girl shouted out of her high-ceiling room. She screamed like being possesed by demon as she ran around her palace. She couldn't take it. She's a modern girl with a million achievements. She was not quite satisfied with her career. Her life is perfect even though there was no time to date. At that time Jill thought that she was quite happy with her life, why should she date if it would only wasted her time?

But she regretted it this time. If she did die in her sleep, and reincarnated into Portia—she should have tried dated someone.

She spent three days in Portia's body like a crazy girl. She stays away from everyone and didn't wanted to answered anything. Even so she still forced herself to eat. For some reason—no matter how difficult the situation was—she didn't feel like dying yet.

"Look at that crazy girl." She heard someone badmouthed her. She was walked with her servant around the palace of Sparta. She walked past several girls who were swarming and gossiping. One of them was her not-so-beautiful half-sister. Now she was giggled and whispered about her.

Though a little bit faint, She still had Portia's memories. The Spartan princess was both adored and hated. She was born very beautiful when compared to her other sisters. Spartans have a stern and serious face, but Portia's face was like a goddess. Moreover, her hair is blonde and beautiful. not many Greeks have blonde hair.

When she was born to a black-haired father and a copper-brown mother—rumors were heard that the queen had an affair. But when the king held the little Portia—he didn't care about any of that. Portia was so beautiful that the king didn't care about his pride. He shouted to convince everyone that Portia was his biological daughter who was blessed by the beauty of Aphrodite. The king even lied that Athena had spoke to him in a dream about portia.

Usually the true Spartan men was not hesitate to cut off the neck of their cheating wife. But the king didn't do it. Jill knew that Portia could have been born blonde from a gene mutation or something. It seems that the queen is also not too stupid to dare cheated on the king. Portia's beauty had saved her mother's life.

"Is there any problem?" She responded fiercely. Her shady blue eyes didn't look as tame as they used to be. Portia's sister was a little nervous. She didn't think that Portia would dare reply to her.

Portia did not grow up to be a spoiled and annoying girl—even though the king loved her very much. It was because when the king didn't see- her jealous brother and sister often bullied her. Portia, who was afraid of getting more hostile, never dared to complained to her father.

"I feel sorry for you. I think Hades is cursing you. Everything would be better if you died from being bitten by a snake. But now what? You're going to be presented to Olympus? We think father not really love you. He's waiting for the right moment to sacrifice you to the gods," the naughty girl mumbled. Jill tried to recalled her name. But it failed. It seemed that Portia had gotten so used to ignoring them that she didn't wanted to waste time for remembered her evil sister's name.

"You're right, I envy you. you're lucky that you were born so ugly that even a satyr wouldn't want to marry you," She said it with smile.

The bully girl looked very annoyed but did not immediately replied. She had never been hit back like that before by Portia. She was unprepared.

She was pleased to see the lose expression of portia's nosy sister. She continued on her way. This time she had a purpose. She no longer wanted to wander around the palace for wasting time. In less than a week she would be sacrificed to the god Ares. Jill felt compelled to understand her current situation better.

"Princess Portia, are you sure you want to go to that place again?" The maid timidly asked.

"Why not?"

"We were worried that the place might contain a curse for you. I mean, six snakebites at once, even snake charmers say it doesn't make sense." The servant reasoned.

"That is the sacred temple of Athena, how could the Goddess of wisdom curse me?" Jill insisted.

"The king insists to make sure you bring armed guards if you wish to leave the palace, Your Majesty." The servant girl said.

She had no other choice. She also didn't know what kind of danger could befall her in this era of ancient Greece. Jill was about to ask which knight would be willing to escort her, before a dashing man suddenly came up to the two of them and spoke.

"I'll escort you," he said to the princess.

"But? Mr. Alexei, you are a general. How can you-" the servant said.

"Princess Portia is the treasure of the Spartans, how can you let ordinary knights escort her?" Alexei replied firmly.

Jill felt a pain in the upper part of her stomach. Her heart suddenly grieved when she saw Alexei. Did Portia know the man?