144 Chapter 143: The strange dream

She watched as the girls who seemed to be maids walking around the place with concerned looks on their faces. Was this a dream? What was happening? And where was this place? Elize wondered. 

"Looks like they're searching for you again." A beautiful voice whispered from above her. 

Elize turned towards the direction, only to see a beautiful little ginger-colored wolf sitting on a tree branch languidly. For some reason, the wolf looked quite familiar. She leaned closer to get a better look at the creature. That was when she realized it- it was not a wolf but rather, a fox who looked much like Meifeng's wolf when she had seen her at the creek that day. She tried recounting the events of that day. Was it a wolf at all? Was Meifeng a fox? She thought confusedly. But even so, what was Meifeng doing in her dream? 

"Shhh." She found herself saying, "Act like you are me for some time, please." She begged. 

Elize gasped, surprised at the voice that seemed to be coming out of her own mouth. It was unlike her own- more pleasant and beautiful. It sounded like she was singing instead of speaking. She looked down at her own hands in confusion. Who was she? Was she not Elize anymore? There were many jeweled rings on her fingers, each a delicate work of art. Her eyes widened in shock. The engagement ring! It was not there anymore! Was this a nightmare? She thought, panicking. 

She looked around the place. She was standing in a garden that was unlike anything that she'd seen before. Wisteria trees stood all throughout the area in its full bloom. But these were much more magnificent than the ones she had seen in Aileen's garden. Small blue-birds hopped from one place to the other, chirping cheerfully. A few flew right up to her- circling around her head. Elize's mouth dropped in awe. 

Suddenly a light breeze blew against her, bringing a mild scent of flowers towards her. Elize looked around in shock, towards the direction. She recognized the smell. It was the witch's breath flower that she had seen on her earlier trip to the spiritual realm. She could see the tip of a pavilion up ahead- a structure that she knew quite well. Was she in the spiritual realm again? Had Luna brought her here? Then where was the goddess? She wondered. 

"What do I get in return?" The fox asked, landing right next to her. 

"I promise that I'll get you treats from the Jade Palace." Elize found herself replying once again. 

Jade Palace? What was that? She had never heard of such a place before. She wondered. And where was Luna? Was this a dream, or had she really come to the spiritual realm? 

"Hmmm.." The fox said, narrowing its eyes at her.

"Please, please, please," Elize begged, in that same beautiful voice. 

"Fine." The fox said with a sigh. 

"Do you think our dresses are similar? Is this enough?" She asked. 

"Yes," Elize answered, looking down at her own dress, which was a perfect look-alike of the one that the girl in front of her was wearing. "It's perfect! But can't you do anything about your face?" She found herself asking, raising a beautiful jeweled hand and waving it in front of her. 

"I'm sorry, but I'm just a fox, not a magician." The girl replied, rolling her eyes at her. 

"The princess is in the garden!" She heard a sudden shout from the direction of the palace. 

"It's time for me to go. Quick! Go back to the room before they find you." Elize said, looking around desperately. 

There was a strange sense of excitement in her heart. Elize pinched herself to see if this was all a dream. She couldn't feel anything at all. She sighed in relief- it was a dream then, she thought, feeling better. She found herself turning around from the girl. But just as she did, a cold hand reached out to grab her. Elize turned around with a sigh. 

"But what will I do if the prince comes back from the court and finds you missing?" The girl asked, looking concerned. 

Elize laughed. She patted the hand that had a tight grip on her wrist and said, "I'm sure that you can handle my brother." 

"I-" The girl stammered, loosening her grip.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Elize found herself quickly stepping back from the girl who looked like Meifeng. Without looking back, she raised her hands and slashed the air in front of her. Soon there was a whooshing sound from the direction, with a hole appearing in front of her. Inside the gap, she saw another garden- one much more grander than her own. Was this a portal? Did she make a portal out of thin air? She wondered. Elize had no control of her body as she took the first step inside the thing.

"Princess!" The girl shouted from behind her.

"I'll see you later!" Elize found herself shouting back before quickly dashing inside the portal. 

In the blink of an eye, she reached the garden that she had seen from outside the portal. With a whoosh, the opening vanished behind her. She looked around the place in awe. Elize walked forward, watching the strange looking trees and plants curiously. She had never witnessed such beautiful flora on earth before. Much like the witch's breath flowers in Luna's garden, these were exotic flora that she had never seen before. Why had she come here? And where was this place? She wondered.

As she kept walking, she found herself beside a small stream. A man in a luxurious robe was bending down next to it, throwing tidbits of what looked like food into it. A sense of warmth enveloped her as she watched him feeding the fishes in the water body. 

"So, you're here," Elize said, walking up to him. 

The man's head whipped towards her with a broad smile. "You came!" He exclaimed, standing up. 

Elize's heart skipped a beat seeing his face. It was the same man she had seen when she was with Zack in the garden at night. Her heart started beating fast as he came running towards her. She laughed, opening her arms wide in welcome. The man quickly lifted her up, spinning her around before hugging her close to his body. 

"I needed to get my fill of you." Elize found herself saying excitedly, "Of course, I'd come."

"I missed you." The man said, placing a kiss on her forehead. 

It felt warm. Elize felt content while looking up at his beautiful face. The man took her towards the stream, making her sit on his lap. She turned around to him with a smile. It was evident that she loved this man. Who was he? And who was she? Why had she seen him in the vision when Zack proposed? She wondered. 

"When will you talk to the emperor about us?" She asked, leaning down towards the stream. 

She dipped her hands in the water- the liquid was strangely warm. Elize leaned further towards it curiously. That was when she saw her reflection in the water body. She gasped in shock, seeing the face that was staring back at her. 

"Soon." The man said, pulling her back towards him. "Very soon, my dear Luna." His eyes were full of love as he looked at her. 

He leaned down to kiss her. Her eyes widened with every inch he leaned towards her. As his face came closer, a strange thought passed her head. His lips looked exactly like that of her mate. And the way that he smiled looked more like a certain someone else that she knew. Much to her distress, she closed her eyes, anticipating the kiss. 

"No!" She screamed, sitting up on the bed. 

Elize was heavily panting as she looked around the familiar surroundings. She was back in her own room. Zack was lying right next to her. He looked as if he was still deep in sleep. Why was she feeling guilty looking at her mate? She lifted her hand up to look at the ring that he had given her. A single tear escaped her eyes as a tearing pain gripped her heart. She couldn't understand what was happening to her all of a sudden. Elize clutched her chest with both her hands, biting her lips to suppress a sob. 

"Baby?" Zack asked sleepily, feeling around the bed with closed eyes.