Averie's bold statement left Hyerin wondering what fresh nonsense her friend was spouting now. She was afraid to so much as glance at the people gathered.

"What prince of lust can't even sleep with a single person?" Averie uttered, smiling as he stepped closer to his adversary. "Why are you complaining now, you pathetic idiot?"

'You want to see Asmodeus?' Averie thought, madness swirling in the depths of his eyes. 'Well, I'll show you Asmodeus.'

He held the man by the roots of his hair and yanked his head. There was no smile on his face—only a jaw unwilling to let the past spill and eyes full of irresistible lust.

There was no indication of empathy in his actions—only a blend of debauchery and elegance.

Averie stared down into those eyes full of fear. Like a true prince of Hell, he was feeding off that emotion.

"Remember this well—I am Averie Quinn Auclair," he announced, his low voice intimidatingly sinister. "And I am Asmodeus, a prince of Hell."

His unique timbre created the illusion of church bells and pipe organs being played.

"I take pride in my work and will go to extreme lengths to remove any obstacle. Accost me again, and I will not be as kind to entertain you with humor."

Averie pushed the man aside, prompting his manager to catch him before he could fall.

"Anyone else who has an issue with me, step forward," Averie addressed the room. "Make your peace now; there won't be any opportunities afterward."

The place was deathly silent. No one dared to speak.

Even those who had wondered about Averie's qualifications could not look him in the eye. There was genuine worry and fear on their faces.

There was something about Averie's eyes that felt hellish. They were malevolent and mesmerizing. That gaze glimmered with a promise to lead one down the path of pleasure at the cost of one's life.

And the thought was terrifying.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, two veteran actors had watched the commotion from start to finish. They were In-Su Kim and Su-Jin James, playing the roles of Lucifer and Satan respectively.

"They managed to find the perfect candidate for Asmodeus, didn't they?" Su-Jin James whispered.

At that, In-Su Kim laughed. "Well, at least, the other actors won't cause trouble."

"I suppose." Su-Jin James looked back. "You are not going to overwork us, are you?"

Director Lee, who was standing with Writer Moon, smirked. "Who knows? I'm the one under great pressure. If I don't capture all of you well, I won't be able to sleep at night."

He exaggerated a sigh.

"With seven of you together, if the project doesn't do well, I will be the one to blame."

***

Several minutes later, the room was returned to its original calm by the arrival of Su-Jin James and In-Su Kim.

In the middle of the commotion, the actor playing Leviathan had managed to sneak in, to the surprise of Writer Moon and Direction Lee.

Averie noticed the man he had intimidated into submission on the far side of the room. The plaque in front of him indicated he was playing one of the minor roles.

'Jin Bae, is it? How in the bloody hell did a man like this get the courage to pick a fight with me?' Averie wondered.

His eyes turned to the man's manager, who had been glaring at him ferociously.

'What are you looking at, chump?' Averie relayed with a sharp gaze. 'Craving some beating, perhaps?'

The manager looked away, intimidated.

He wore a nice suit, which no one with a meager salary could afford.

'From one of the big entertainment companies, are you?' Averie chuckled. 'So, this is why your actor is so daring, you pathetic swine.'

It was the most pathetic display of power he had ever seen. It was fun.

Wondering how Hyerin was handling his outburst, Averie looked back at her. Surprisingly, she was enjoying it.

She looked like a mother who believed her child was the most talented of the gathered lot. She looked proud—excessively so.

Director Lee began the table-read with a speech full of ambition. He introduced the cast one by one.

As expected, the seven main roles were the main attraction. Averie noticed that all seven of them were biracial—exactly according to the script.

'The writer is also biracial, isn't she?' Averie thought.

The table-read progressed smoothly and continued for about two hours. Although a relaxed affair, it showed the unique flavor of each character.

The seven princes in particular synergized extremely well. The tension they created with a simple remark seemed to stifle the rest.

Six of them were actors known for only undertaking artistic roles. It raised a profound question—who was this Averie Quinn Auclair?

It even baffled Hyerin. She could not understand how her quirky friend could execute such a delicate piece of acting without much effort.

She was enjoying this more than she had expected.

Looking at the seven actors working so well together, she had a simple thought.

'This will be a great success.'

Director Lee wasn't thinking any differently. In fact, everyone in the room thought the same. Some executives even glared at the director, their expressions warning him not to mess this up.

***

Once the table-read was over, one of the supporting actors gathered her courage and walked up to Averie.

"Hello." She offered a handshake. "I am Ellie Arnold, playing the role of Sarah."

She had red hair and looked about four years older than Averie.

'She is entirely Caucasian.'

As much as Averie appreciated the diversity of this new world, he wondered if the cast's heritages were somehow related to the script.

Of course, he knew why the seven actors were biracial. It was part of the plot. But why was this woman entirely white?

Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but Averie thought there was more to it than that.

'I myself am three-quarters white.'

There was something there.

Averie looked pleased with himself. He felt like a detective while making all these assumptions.

'The second and third episodes talk about the mothers of Lucifer and Satan respectively. But Asmodeus's parentage isn't mentioned in the first three episodes. Considering the nature of the script, he must be entirely white, unlike his half-brothers.'

He looked at the woman in front of him. She was playing Sarah, one of Asmodeus's lovers and the one introduced in Scene 14.

Although the role could be mistaken for a minor character by the audience at first, she would eventually end up playing a pivotal role in the story.

Averie thought it was a really good role. If played right, it could end up being an iconic one.

He shook her hand and offered a fake smile. "Hello, Ms. Arnold. It seems we are going to have a lot of scenes together."

"Yes," she laughed awkwardly. "I hope I won't be a bother. The role involves... some difficult scenes."

"Those scenes may seem explicit, Ms. Arnold, but remember that you are not exposing yourself more than necessary." he said solemnly. "If the audience is focusing exclusively on your skin, then both of us are doing a terribly awful job at acting."

"Is that not my role?" she muttered, brooding. "To serve Asmodeus's lust?"

"Ms. Arnold, if that is all you think about the character called Sarah, then you have only read the script and understood nothing but the plot."

Averie continued, "Sarah is a character with the potential to be more beloved than some of the seven of us. She isn't simply giving Asmodeus what he desires; there is more to it than that. It is a symbiotic relationship."

He looked back upon his years of experience. He had seen as many rising actors as there were stars in the sky. But eventually, they all fell.

"An actor should capture the opportunity when it presents itself. Such roles don't grace us often. Please study it more; I would hate to see you waste such a wonderful character."

Saying what he wanted to say, Averie left her to mull over his words and joined his six co-stars, who had gathered briefly.

"Man, I owe you one Asmodeus," Peter Kang, Leviathan's actor said. "I was late, but thanks to your commotion, I sneaked in unnoticed."

"Glad to be of help," Averie said, unashamed.

"What are you thanking him for? You should have been on time," complained Raymond Lee, Mammon's actor.

"Yeah, do you have any idea how scared we were when they were fighting?" said Belphegor's actor, John Strom.

"It was fun though," said Beelzebub's actor, Do-Yun Park.

Compared to the picture Averie saw on the internet, he looked bigger in person. It was evident that he had gained some weight for this role.

In-Su Kim and Su-Jin James greeted Averie with poise. Unlike the rest, those two were in their forties and chose their projects carefully. They had never worked together before, and it was sure to attract attention.

"See you in two days," In-Su Kim said as the seven dispersed.