Transmigrated as Jane’s Ghostly Godmother - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Looking for Trouble—So, Are We All Right?

“This…” Georgiana, caught completely off guard by such a response, found herself at a loss for words.

Similarly, Jane couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Eleanor. All previous friction and guilt were momentarily cast aside, replaced entirely by disbelief at Beatrice’s words.

“Betty…?” Jane called out hesitantly.

Beatrice looked over. Instead of the expected sneer, her face wore an incredibly complex expression.

“Pardon us, Miss Reed, we have to get to dinner. No time for idle chatter.” Eleanor’s mood was much more straightforward. Her smile had returned, and she didn’t even bother with overly formal diction. With that, she grabbed Jane and Beatrice—one in each hand—and led them quickly away.

“Wait—” Georgiana tried to say something, but no one was listening anymore.

The silence persisted on the way to the dining hall, but the atmosphere had shifted subtly. Jane spent the entire walk stealing glances at Beatrice. Once they were seated and she had poked her food with her fork several times, she finally couldn’t help but ask, “…Were you just speaking up for me?”

Beatrice neither looked at her nor answered. However, this attitude was markedly gentler compared to her behavior over the past few days.

This feels like a good time to break the ice, Jane thought, turning her gaze toward Eleanor.

Eleanor had been troubled lately, often lost in her own world. Because Beatrice had been watching like a hawk, Jane hadn’t found a chance to ask her about it. Now, seeing that Eleanor was also drawn to Beatrice’s unusual behavior, Jane finally locked eyes with her for the first time in days.

“That’s more like the Betty I know. You finally realized who’s trustworthy.” Noticing Jane’s gaze, Eleanor winked and quickly picked up the thread, preventing the silence from spreading again.

Jane opened her mouth to speak, but glanced at Beatrice first. The latter was focused on her food, her head down, having shed her defensive posture as if she couldn’t care less what they were saying. Sensing a concession in Beatrice’s indifference, Jane took a deep breath and set down her cutlery.

“Lina, Betty, I want to explain what happened a few nights ago.”

The smile on Eleanor’s face stiffened. She hesitated while scooping her soup. “Jane, if you don’t want to, don’t force yourself…” The worry in her eyes was undisguised, and Jane realized immediately that Eleanor was saying this out of genuine concern for her.

“No, it’s not forced,” Jane shook her head gently. “I’m grateful you let me join the team. My wish for us to ‘get along and win the competition’ wasn’t a lie. But I did keep things from you, and I’m sorry that made you feel I wasn’t being honest and affected our performance.”

She hesitated, still choosing to keep Lin Zhao’s existence a secret.

Eleanor could hear the unspoken words, but she didn’t actually care much about the so-called “truth.” So much had happened that day; she felt their emotions had simply used a reason to boil over.

“Everyone has their secrets.” She shook her head at Jane, her eyes curving into crescents. “Even a ghost can’t see through a person’s body to read their heart directly, can they?”

The implication was clear. Perhaps Eleanor had realized something, but the eyes smiling at Jane were open and filled with understanding and encouragement. Jane understood in an instant: Eleanor’s troubles over the past few days hadn’t been caused by her. Which meant—Eleanor had believed in her all along.

A wave of warmth surged through Jane’s heart. She blurted out, “Yes, secrets… aside from that one thing, I don’t want to withhold anything from you. If pulling my heart out could let you know my feelings and earn your trust, I would do it gladly—”

Beside them, Beatrice set down her fork and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Her expression was neutral, the coldness of the past days gone. She finally joined the conversation.

“Let’s avoid such bloody deeds. Are you a wild spirit from centuries ago?”

Jane blinked and obediently shut her mouth, waiting earnestly for Beatrice to continue. Feeling the intensity of the stare, Beatrice frowned slightly.

“…So, it’s not like these words were only meant for the two of you, is it? I don’t know why it took you several days just to say that.”

“Eh?” Jane let out a sound of confusion. Wait, does Beatrice mean that her attitude was just to prevent me from explaining things without including her?

“Ah…”

“But your explanation was as good as saying nothing,” Beatrice interrupted before Jane could get sentimental. “And just now, I wasn’t speaking up for you. Georgie’s words were just too contradictory.”

“Furthermore, pulling your heart out wouldn’t prove anything. Instead of saying such things, put that energy into the competition—” She didn’t control her volume, and the last word was quite loud.

“No shouting during meals—” Mrs. Miller’s warning drifted from a few tables away.

“Ahem…” Eleanor quickly covered her mouth to keep her laughter from escaping and drawing more warnings.

“Speaking of the competition, I don’t think the problems these past few days were entirely my fault…” Jane regained her composure, feeling she shouldn’t shoulder all the blame alone.

“You’re the one who just apologized for affecting the competition,” Beatrice noted, listening carefully while she ate.

“So, are we all right now?” Eleanor’s smile hadn’t faded since Jane’s first sentence, and now it was radiant.

“The competition! We still have the competition! Is this a time for ‘reconciliation games’?” Beatrice reverted to her sharp attitude, though her face was slightly flushed. Having said this, she declared she was finished and stood up abruptly, fleeing her friends’ questioning and Mrs. Miller’s second warning.

The troubles of teenagers are like tornadoes—they come with a fury and leave just as fast. The resulting clear skies were immediately reflected in their teamwork. Once Jane adjusted her mindset, her coordination with Eleanor returned to its usual level. Beatrice returned to her habitual indifference, focusing entirely on the tasks. Consequently, over the next few days, they finally began to show their true potential, quickly catching up in points and taking a significant lead in first place.

However, Jane’s mood didn’t improve entirely with their rising rank. The reason was simple: as long as the Reeds were at Whirlwood, she found it hard to be at peace. Moreover, she noticed that Beatrice and Georgiana had actually become closer after the evening of the third day.

“Why do I feel like Betty only holds a grudge against me? I can understand her getting along with someone like Lina, but isn’t Georgiana much more troublesome than I am?”

To prepare for the final day—the most difficult team event, “Woodland Exploration”—Jane had snuck out with Lin Zhao to familiarize themselves with the route ahead of time. Whirlwood often organized student activities in the woods, so Miss Victor had devised this event combining exercise, geography, and teamwork: each group had to enter the woods, find specified items, and exit within a time limit.

“First of all, Jane, you aren’t troublesome. Second, Beatrice and Georgiana aren’t actually that close.” Lin Zhao held back a low branch for Jane as she recalled what she had seen while monitoring John. “Most of the time, Beatrice doesn’t say much; she just listens to Georgiana complain about everything.”

“Does she really like hearing bad things about me that much?” Jane recalled Lin Zhao mentioning their discussions and clicked her tongue.

“Not exactly. If Georgiana brings you up, Beatrice says she doesn’t want to hear it, and the topic changes.” Lin Zhao recalled the slightly awkward expression Beatrice wore whenever that happened.

“…She doesn’t even want to hear it? Fine, after the competition, I’m going to ask her straight out.”

Feeling dejected, Jane stopped walking. She looked around, found a large tree, and leaned against it. Turning to Lin Zhao, she noticed a hidden opening nearby. “Oh, Lin, look at this.”

I suspect Beatrice doesn’t have any enmity left for Jane, but this behavior… it looks a lot like a ‘Tsundere’ personality, Lin Zhao thought. She kept the guess to herself, trusting Jane could handle it. “Mm…” She walked to Jane’s side and looked down. “It’s quite deep. Mark it down; you’ll need to be careful here tomorrow.”

Jane nodded and made a note on her paper. In the silence that followed, they heard the crunch of a branch being stepped on nearby. Since the event had been announced the day before, it was normal for groups to explore with teachers. But as the sound drew closer, Lin Zhao stood guard in front of Jane.

Jane also realized something was off. She grabbed the corner of Lin Zhao’s clothes and held her breath. A few seconds later, a familiar face appeared.

It was Eliza Reed.

Jane let go of Lin Zhao’s clothes, finding the scene incredibly familiar.

“I heard a familiar voice nearby. It really is you, Jane.” Eliza didn’t seem surprised to see her, though her eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of Jane alone. “…But why are you by yourself?”

“…” Jane almost instinctively looked at Lin Zhao. “Are you lost? What do you want?”

“So you really are here alone. Sneaking out without reporting to a teacher… if I were to report you now, would your team be disqualified?” Eliza nodded knowingly.

“…” Jane knew every Reed was an expert at looking for trouble.

“Don’t worry, she’s alone too,” Lin Zhao said, having scanned the area and confirmed no one else was with Eliza.

Hearing Lin Zhao, Jane mirrored Eliza’s nod. “You’re alone too, so don’t threaten me. Or are you planning to drag me down because you can’t get a good score and want to run away?”

“I didn’t know you were so clingy, Eliza.”

“Your tongue has only gotten sharper since coming here.” Eliza waved a hand dismissively and took two steps closer, lowering her voice. “Honestly, Jane, I’m not here to cause trouble.”

Jane found the opening line lacked credibility. She held up a hand to stop Eliza. “Stay there. No one else is around; speak from there.”

Eliza didn’t know where Jane got her confidence, but seeing the girl’s steady gaze, she stopped. She got straight to the point: “John is planning to cause trouble for you tomorrow.”

“…” Jane couldn’t help it this time—she looked at Lin Zhao, her mouth pressed in a line of exasperated silence.

Lin Zhao moved closer to Eliza so Jane’s line of sight wouldn’t look too unnatural. “Eliza really hasn’t been associating much with John or Georgiana lately,” she added.

Seeing Jane remain silent, Eliza was confused. “Aren’t you going to ask what kind of trouble?”

Jane thought: Lin says you haven’t talked to them; it would be a miracle if you actually knew his plan. Then, looking at Lin Zhao standing next to Eliza, she realized there actually was a ghost involved.

She finally spoke: “Why should I believe you? Even if you aren’t on the same team, didn’t you conspire together often enough at Gateshead?”

A flash of discomfort crossed Eliza’s face, but she looked Jane in the eye. “I’ve been watching your competitions these past few days. You… you really are different from before. I am willing to apologize to you for my past prejudices.”

In the original book, Eliza eventually gained a deep understanding of the people at Gateshead, leading her to be civil to Jane later on. From Lin Zhao’s knowledge, Eliza was someone who adapted based on what was most beneficial to her. If she was genuinely moved by Jane’s performance and was seeking a truce, it wasn’t impossible to believe.

But Jane, lacking a reader’s perspective, squinted her eyes in suspicion. She had tried to be kind to her cousins at Gateshead many times to no avail. She had long ago given up on that. She was one to hold a grudge, though she didn’t like revenge. If John Reed wasn’t constantly attacking her, she wouldn’t even spend energy thinking about them. She’d rather spend time with people who mattered.

But Eliza Reed was apologizing?

Seeing a scene she had imagined and abandoned so many times actually happen made her heart tremble. She hesitated, exhaled, and spoke.

“You…”