___ IMPERIAL PALACE ___
____ /Knock on the door/ ____
______ The Butler _____
Lord Carlos, I've brought your dinner… I know you were angry with His Majesty the Emperor, but trust me, he's doing this for your own good.
____ CARLOS ___
...…..
______ The Butler _____
(Sigh) I'll leave your meal here, then. Remember, if you need anything, I'm here. I'll take my leave now.
_______ CARLOS ______
(Escapes through the window) Damn you and your foolish "good intentions"! Don't think I'm some five-year-old child running after food and sweet talk!
_________ Next Day ________
_____ KALA VILLAGE _____
_____ Man 1 ____
(Running) Hey! Hey! (breathing heavily) …d-did you hear that?!
_____ Man 2 ____
Calm down, man! What shocked you so much?!
____ Man 3 ____
Right, right… nothing should surprise us anymore, especially after the last event.
______ Man 4 ____
Damn you, man! You just reminded me… I wish I had died before this happened. (sigh)
_____ Man 5 ____
Yes… everyone's depressed here. Who would've expected that Lilian, the most beautiful girl, was already married?
And not just that—she married a man as old as her grandfather! …(sigh) Life is really tough!
______ Man 1 ____
Sorry to ruin your gloom, but this news is really important!
_______ Man 2 ____
What's wrong, man?! Come on, tell us!
_____ Man 4 ____
Yes, exactly! What could be more important than our beloved Lilian's marriage?
______ Man 1 ____
It's about the second prince, Carlos!
______ Man 3 ____
Prince Carlos?
_____ Man 5 ____
Come on, quickly! What happened? Is it a coronation or something?
______ Man 1 ____
No… it's something more important… He escaped! Prince Carlos escaped from the palace! And on top of that, both the Emperor and the Black Market have placed a bounty on him!
_______ KEVIN _____
(Hiding a smile) Wh… What did you say? Could… could you repeat that?
_______ Man 3 ____
Calm down, man! You don't look okay.
_____ KEVIN ____
(Regaining composure) S… Sorry, guys. It's just… what you said piqued my curiosity.
______ Man 5 ____
Ah, about the bounty? I'd advise you to give up, then.
_____ Man 1 ____
Exactly… no one among the commoners, especially us poor folk living on the borders—no, most people—cannot match the power and charm of nobles.
____ Man 4 ____
Yes, let's just forget about it!
______ Man 2 ____
More importantly… you must be really sad!
______ Man 3 ____
Don't even mention it, man. Who'd be happy if their only friend married an old man?
_____ Man 5 ____
And on top of that… the most beautiful girl in the village!
___ Man 2 ____
But think carefully! This happened so fast, and we only heard about it when Lilian married that old man.
_____ Man 3 ____
Yes, and it's strange that there was no announcement or celebration, especially for such an occasion.
______ Man 1 ____
Exactly. What if she was kidnapped by bandits, and the governor couldn't pay the ransom—so they invented this marriage excuse?!
_____ Man 4 ____
We can't just stand idle, guys. We have to investigate this.
_______ Man 5 ____
Yes… or maybe they even forced her to marry a senile old man for money. Nobles are the worst humans!
_______ Man 1 ____
Speaking of which, I heard he's a feudal noble and will stay here for two weeks.
Which means we have one week and three days left before they leave.
______ Man 2 ____
Right… we can save her then! And the only chance is within that time.
________ Man 3 ____
And since you're her close friend, Kevin, that means you'll come with us, right? She's dear to us after all!
_______ KEVIN ____
Y… y… yes, that's right.
_______ POV KEVIN ____
Have mercy please… I really have no interest in her! And now I'm obligated to save her. If I don't, they'll suspect me. (sigh)
Someone dear said it! Would you even care about her if not for her face?! And you talk about greed and friendship…I can't blame them really… they're… just humans after all.
_____ Man 1 ____
Then it's decided, men. We begin the "Rescue the Beauty" operation!
_____ Men 2,3,4,5 ____
Oooos, let's go!
________ KEVIN ____
O… o… ooos!
______ POV KEVIN ____
(Shocked) I'll be honest, guys… but the name "Rescue the Beauty"… is the worst name ever! And I'm sure your childish antics are what will make this mission fail…
…but I don't mind a little encouragement! (slight smile)
_______ /Depart /________