Transmigrated as Jane’s Ghostly Godmother - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Preparing for Flight — An Aunt’s Backup and a Niece’s Confidence

The door opened quickly. Julian stepped aside expressionlessly to let her pass, then turned and closed the door behind her.

Mr. Harrison sat behind the desk, a document still in hand. He didn’t even look up, merely tilting his head slightly as he asked: “What is it, Jane?”

His attitude was just as contemptuous as Julian’s, if not more so. Jane felt clearly that he did not view her as an equal participant in conversation. The nervousness she had felt moments ago vanished instantly.

She walked up to him, looking down at him from her height, her tone serious and devoid of childishness: “I heard that you have decided to settle a betrothal for Lina at tomorrow night’s ball?”

At her blunt questioning, Harrison’s solemn expression finally wavered. His brow twitched almost imperceptibly, a flash of displeasure passing through his eyes. “This is not your concern. To be honest, it is difficult for me to imagine how a girl with such a reckless style of conduct managed to win first place at Whalewood—a place that should have belonged to a Harrison.”

It took Jane a second to realize he was talking about the competition results.

“Sir, it is a fact; it requires no imagination. Furthermore, you should not strip Lina of her right to be ‘herself,’ whether in the way you just referred to her or in her future path.” After just a few exchanges, she realized that this man’s character and vision did not deserve a shred of her respect. Consequently, she feared conflict with him even less.

Harrison, however, turned his eyes back to the document at these words, completely ceasing to look at her.

“You certainly share a similar temperament with him. But you still lack the qualifications to discuss these matters with me. Instead of worrying about Harrison family business, you would do better to go back and prepare for your ball. Now, take the door and leave.”

The door was opened from the outside just as he finished speaking. Julian had clearly been standing there the whole time and hadn’t missed a word of the conversation. Looking at this equally arrogant pair of father and son, Jane felt as if she had punched a bale of cotton.

Talking to someone who doesn’t care about you is meaningless. He didn’t care about a single word she said.

To them, she was just a child, unqualified for equal communication. And even when she grew up, she would likely continue to be ignored because she was a woman. How long would she be forced into this “silence”?

Jane clenched her fists, her chest heaving, almost wanting to scream: “You—”

“Jane.” Another female voice interrupted her. She turned, trembling with anger, to find a serious-looking Miss Constance. Behind her, Beatrice was looking elsewhere. “Come to me.”

“But…” If anyone else had stopped her, Jane would have ignored them. But this was Miss Constance. She saw the same suppressed fire churning in the woman’s eyes, so she took several deep breaths and slowly walked to her side.

Julian stepped inside and shut the door in their faces.

The thud of the closing door rang in her ears, incredibly piercing. Jane’s breathing grew heavy again. Miss Constance placed a hand on her shoulder, stroking it gently.

“I know what you are standing up for, Jane. But wait for a moment. You are still young; you need to grow up well.” She leaned down slightly to meet Jane’s eyes, allowing the girl to see her firm gaze. “I understand your anger at their arrogance. Therefore, what you must do is reach a position where they must look up at you. Do not waste any emotion on them now; your keen perception is a more precious treasure.”

How sharp the contrast was between this earnest speech and the dialogue with Harrison. Jane’s nose stung, and she nodded slowly.

Her mood calmed slightly, and she remembered the instructions she had been given, feeling some guilt toward Miss Constance: “I’m sorry… you clearly said there was nothing more we could do…”

“No, my dear, you never need to apologize for your courage and rebellion. It was I who was wrong; we must never say ‘powerless.'” Miss Constance stood straight and patted her shoulder one last time. “Don’t worry, go back for now. As for Edward… I will speak with him again.”

Hearing this, the silent Beatrice took the lead and walked away. Jane could only nod solemnly to Miss Constance once more before quickly catching up.

They didn’t speak the whole way. It wasn’t until they returned to the room that Jane spoke softly.

“…Thank you.” She knew at a glance that Beatrice had gone to get Miss Constance.

Beatrice still didn’t look at her. While rummaging through her trunk, she said in her usual, stiff tone: “Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t do it for a sharp-tongued brat like you. It’s just that if you were thrown out of here, I’d have to get used to a new roommate, and that’s far too much trouble.”

Jane looked over and saw that her own luggage had also been brought over. She was now completely speechless. She walked to her things and pulled out her attire for the ball.

Staring at the fine silks and clothes, Jane felt an unprecedented exhaustion. She had too much to say; questions piled up in her chest, thumping against her heart, making every breath ache. Thinking back, she had often been in such situations during the first ten years of her life, yet she felt so unfamiliar with it now.

Jane reached out to touch the hem of her skirt, belatedly realizing the start of all the variables—the mysterious ghost, her Fairy Godmother.

After she appeared, Jane’s troubles had an outlet. Whether joyful or sad, anything she couldn’t tell others didn’t need to be hidden from Lin Zhao. Jane didn’t even know when she had started trusting her to this extent.

“Dedicated to solving my problems, making me happy…” She collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion, burying her head in the fabric of her skirt, murmuring in a voice only she could hear, “So where on earth are you now?”

Regrettably, despite Jane’s internal complaints, Miss Ghost did not appear as requested. Exhausted to the point where she could no longer maintain any emotional high ground, Jane thought with a touch of desperation: How much worse can things get? Let it all come at once. I won’t let you defeat me.

In reality, when things hit rock bottom, every direction thereafter is uphill. Jane found that things miraculously began to take a turn for the better.

On the night before the ball, Lina did not come down for dinner, but the next morning, she knocked on their door of her own accord.

“Good morning, Jane, Betty!” Her eyes were still slightly red and swollen, but she looked much better. Behind her, Miss Constance poked her head in and gave them a playful wink: “Good morning, ladies. Did you sleep well? A grand ball requires the fullest spirit to face it!”

At this scene, Jane blinked hard several times, almost wondering if she was still dreaming. Beatrice, on the other hand, naturally picked up the conversation: “Good day, Miss Constance. Good morning to you too, Lina.”

“…Did I miss something?” Jane asked hesitantly.

Lina and Miss Constance exchanged a look. After receiving an affirmative nod from the latter, Lina took Jane by the wrist. “Come with me.” She could hardly hide her joy as she led Jane back to their original room.

Seeing Lina enter and close the door in one go, Jane grew more confused: “Aren’t we calling Betty?”

“It’s alright. Auntie said she wanted to chat with Betty; they’ll probably talk about it too.” Lina’s eyes curved into a smile.

Jane studied Lina closely. Finding no trace of forced happiness in her smile, she breathed a small sigh of relief. But the girl’s state yesterday had been so terrible; could such a massive reversal happen overnight?

Carrying her worry, Jane expressed her confusion: “Lina, what actually happened yesterday? When we came back, you looked… terrible. That’s why Mrs. Harrison had us move to the new room.”

The smile on Lina’s face faded slightly at the question, and she pursed her lips. “Yesterday… Mama took me to see Papa about the betrothal. Papa thought I was just unhappy with that specific person and said he could find me a different one. At the time… I really thought there was no more hope, so I just wanted to be alone.”

She hesitated slightly, looked up to ensure the door was shut tight, then continued in a low voice full of the relief of a survivor: “Until last night, Auntie came to see me. She said Papa changed his mind, and the betrothal is… cancelled for now! However, he still intends to settle it within a few years—Auntie also said that if Papa and Mama haven’t changed their minds after I graduate, I can go to London to find her.”

This unexpected reversal made Jane’s first thought one of “effort,” which Lin Zhao had mentioned before. She instinctively glanced at the desk. Although she saw nothing, she felt an unbearable itch to confirm if there was a message left there.

As she spoke, joy returned to Lina’s face. She took Jane’s hand and thanked her earnestly: “I also heard from Auntie that you went to question Papa for me. I really didn’t expect you to go that far for me. Thank you, Jane. It might sound childish, but perhaps what we said touched him just a little bit?”

Regardless of the facts, after fighting for it, things had indeed turned around. The resulting encouragement made the flame of longing for freedom in Lina’s heart burn brighter. She reached out to smooth Jane’s slightly furrowed brow and poked the corner of her mouth.

“Smile, Jane. At least for this ball, we can focus on just dancing. I’m so sorry—we came here for a holiday, yet I’ve caused you to worry about my affairs the whole time.”

Jane’s mouth felt itchy from the poke, and she couldn’t help but let it curl upward. Lina’s words made her heart ache slightly, and she shook her head, maintaining the smile: “Then I won’t worry about you. Instead, I’ll worry about potential dance partners tonight! You have no idea how terrifying Betty made the ball sound!”

The girls giggled, and the conversation finally shifted to lighter things.

After that, they were busy with preparations for the ball, especially their attire. Mrs. Harrison had called in many people to help.

Before departing, Jane stared at herself in the mirror, hardly daring to blink. Her hair was braided and pinned up, secured at the back with an exquisite pearl clip. A few wisps of hair were left at her temples, styled into soft, fluffy curls that lay gently against her eyes. Custom-made floral accessories were clipped to her hair near her ears, swaying vividly with her movements like they were blowing in the wind.

Further down, a simple gemstone necklace adorned her neck, contrasting beautifully with the dark gown she wore. The style Miss Emily had custom-made for her was a classic high-collared, cinched-waist design that preserved a minimalist elegance. The lace and embroidery were not excessive, appearing only at the collar and cuffs, perfectly accenting the silk folds—understated and elegant.

Most importantly, she seemed to have grown taller, and her posture was more open. Framed by the magnificent dress and precious jewels, her features emerged from their daily sharpness into a clever, spirited grace.

“…Is this really me?” Jane blurted out in shock. From the appearance alone, she could hardly distinguish the stranger in the mirror from the memories of her wealthy relatives. She couldn’t help but wonder if the soul beneath this pleasing exterior was beginning to alienate toward those terrifying directions as well.

Though both were unusual costumes, for some reason, her feelings about what she saw now were vastly different from the school banquet. Perhaps it was because the cost of these clothes came from the pocket of Mr. Harrison—whom she had no desire to know—and the styling was done by complete strangers. A strong sense of dissonance swept through her soul, making her recoil in fear and quickly avert her eyes. If she looked any longer, she feared she would find the costume unbearable and tear it off.

She had also taken a moment to check for letters, but there was no new news. She had mentally prepared herself for the possibility that Lin Zhao would miss the ball again. Truth be told… if Lin Zhao missed how she looked today, she probably wouldn’t feel as much regret as before.

The girls dressing beside her were completely immersed in the joy of the upcoming party, oblivious to her inner struggle.

“Jane, you are so beautiful!” Lina praised sincerely. Even Beatrice, usually concise, gave her a long look and offered a brief comment: “…Passable.”

The girls’ laughter and chatter formed an invisible wall, isolating Jane’s chaotic thoughts. In a flurry of excitement, they finally boarded the carriage for the ball.

Amidst the sound of the carriages, a motionless cloak in a room at the firm finally showed some reaction.

“Ugh—” Struggling to get up from the floor, Lin Zhao’s vision was a blur. It took her a while to recover from the dream and realize where she was. “Ah!” she gasped, rushing to the window to look out.

The setting sun cast a wide glow behind the clouds, and the dark blue of night was slowly climbing the horizon. It was already evening. She quickly estimated that it had been around three in the afternoon when she came to the room. That meant she had only been unconscious for a few hours; there was still time to find Jane…

But the next second, she realized her plan had completely failed.

“Mr. Lint, are you here?” There was a knock on the door—Terry’s voice. “The ball is about to begin. If you need it, the firm has prepared a carriage for you.”

She had actually slept for over twenty hours in one go. This damned ghost constitution… She clenched and unclenched her fists several times before she could steady her breathing. She tapped on the table twice in response, then quickly changed into her custom clothes.

Standing before the mirror, she took a brief look at herself, gathered her things, and dashed downstairs. Terry was quick; his face lit up when he saw her, and he praised her with genuine sincerity: “The carriage is ready. Sir, you look absolutely wonderful—”

Lin Zhao didn’t have time to answer his compliments. She stepped into the carriage in two strides and lowered her hat slightly toward him.

“Good luck, sir—”

As the carriage drove off, Terry’s blessing vanished in the air. Lin Zhao finally felt a wave of belated nervousness. She hadn’t seen Jane in a long time. Was she doing alright? Had she run into any trouble lately?

Even though the original plan had been to give Jane a chance to exercise her own strength, the thought that Jane might have fallen into danger because she wasn’t there made her restless. Most importantly, she had confidently promised she would find time to come back and talk to Jane—yet they wouldn’t meet until the ball.

Lin Zhao adjusted the mask on her face to be more secure, unable to stop stroking the edge of the gauze covering the lower half of her face.

How on earth was she going to explain this…