The Governor's Ball (1)

"Ang, what should I wear to the ball?" Margherita walked over to Ang, her tone carrying a hint of unease.

Ang stopped what he was doing and glanced at her. "Do you have a formal dress in your suitcase?"

Margherita hesitated, then gently shook her head. "No... I didn't bring any clothes for a ball this time."

She had thought Ang would naturally suggest taking her out to pick a new dress, but instead, he merely replied flatly, "Then wear your Enchanted Armament."

"What?" Margherita's eyes widened. "But I'm a woman. If I wear Enchanted Armament to a ball, people will laugh at me!"

"You're a young lady of House Hall. Who would dare laugh at you?" Ang said expressionlessly. "Besides, plenty of people might even envy the Enchanted Armament you're wearing."

Margherita opened her mouth, only to find herself unable to refute him for a moment. She could only glare at him indignantly. "Then what are you wearing?"

"Me? Mage robes." Ang's tone was indifferent, as though he did not care about the evening banquet at all.

Without waiting for her to say anything else, he led her to an inn near the Governor's Mansion and decisively booked two nonadjacent rooms, one upstairs and one downstairs.

"You're way too guarded around me." Margherita leaned against the railing and looked down at him, her voice tinged with dissatisfaction.

Ang looked up at her, his tone calm. "It's not being guarded. It's protection."

"You've already done it... and you still don't have any sense of responsibility as a man." Margherita muttered softly, though an inexplicable emotion flickered in her eyes.

Ang could not be bothered to argue. He took Margherita's suitcase from the Magic Waist Pouch and placed it outside her door, then went upstairs to his room without looking back.