The following evening, Raphael went alone to the ball hosted by the social butterfly Sophia. Bringing his zombies would mean finding somewhere to hide them later, which would be a hassle.
Sophia lived in a villa on King's Road. When Raphael reached the entrance and saw the size of the courtyard inside, he guessed it had once belonged to a noble and had since been bought.
Many guests had arrived today, and there was even a slight traffic jam at the entrance.
Raphael felt rather glad he had asked Carter to arrange a carriage for him. Arriving in a cab would have made him stand out.
Although there were no restrictions on who could attend the ball, any ordinary person who actually came would be intimidated by the surroundings and the looks they received.
Raphael did not care about such superficial nonsense, but it would attract attention, making it harder for him to hide later.
Quite a few people were already in the ballroom. Many hoped to use gatherings like this to make new connections.
With makeup disguising his appearance, Raphael mingled among them without drawing any attention.
He picked up a glass of champagne and smiled. He was already halfway to success.
At half past seven, Sophia appeared on the second-floor terrace to give a speech.
Raphael looked up and saw a round-faced woman whose delicate features formed a very dignified, beautiful face.
She did not look like a Demoness at all-or rather, she did not resemble Raphael's impression of a Demoness. There was nothing seductive about her, and every movement was poised and gracious.
Raphael lowered his gaze, and Audrey came to mind again.
He suddenly realized that Sophia's image was specifically tailored to the tastes of Loen's high society. Or perhaps her appearance happened to suit those