Original subtitles

(Kang Tae Oh)

(Kim Se Jeong)

(Lee Sin Young)

(Hong Su Zu)

(Jin Goo)

(Nam Gi Ae)

(And Kim Nam Hee)

(Moon River)

(All people, incidents, and backgrounds...)

(in this drama are fictitious and unrelated to reality.)

(Also, children and animals were filmed under production guidelines.)

You have done well.

At dawn, I will interrogate the Left State Councilor myself.

So you should return to the palace as well.

As you command, Your Majesty.

The Royal Concubine must have been very frightened.

No, I am all right.

Your Royal Highness, why the long face?

It is all over now,

but I am worried that you still seem so upset.

His Majesty must have mixed feelings as well.

After all, he lost my mother because of the Left State Councilor.

Royal Mother

Royal Mother

Your Highness.

- I have been having these dreams. - Your Highness.

What are your orders regarding this woman?

You must leave before my father has you killed.

Do not worry about your mother.

Just save yourself.

My mother's life is in the Left State Councilor's hands,

so I am not going anywhere.

I am sorry.

I apologize on my father's behalf.

There is no need for that.

- Not that pot. The other one. - Right.

The Left State Councilor is jailed,

and the Royal Investigation Office will investigate him.

What has you so deep in thought?

I wonder what started this tragedy.

What drove the Left State Councilor to be so relentlessly evil?

I am just curious.

You know the saying.

Good people cannot fathom true evil,

and evil people cannot fathom true goodness.

There is a four-character idiom for it. "Good, evil..."

My lord, you will never understand a man like him, not ever.

We should get going. We are running out of time.

Let us go.

Get this out of the way.

The Crown Prince's Concubine.

No.

Kill the Crown Princess.

(Chapter 10: The Calm Before the Storm)

The Left State Councilor has been arrested.

I will take our men to the Royal Investigation Office.

- We have no orders from him. - But...

We have no orders from him.

Have you forgotten that we only act on his orders?

My apologies.

Leave me. I am busy.

Do you think you can just borrow money and not pay it back?

Even Buddha has no mercy for wicked men like you.

But I already paid back the principal!

You only paid back the principal.

- Who is going to pay the interest? - Darn it!

Just kill me, you thief!

People have this misconception.

They think since life is precious, it must be valuable.

- You lot will never earn a dime. - You...

Sell the older one as a slave and the younger one as a eunuch.

No! You cannot, you jerk! No!

Your Highness, there is terrible news.

The Left State Councilor...

has been jailed at the Royal Investigation Office.

My father?

Evidence was found at his residence, proving he is the Jimjo's master.

Since the Jimjo attacked the palace, this is...

considered an act of treason.

What should we do, Your Highness?

- If it is treason... - Then Your Highness could also...

be placed in confinement or even arrested.

I have to go to the Royal Investigation Office.

- I need to see my father in person. - Yes. I will handle it discreetly.

Your Highness. This is not the way to the Royal Investigation Office.

I think there is a pebble in my shoe. With my position,

I cannot very well take it out in the middle of the road.

Of course, Your Highness.

Yeo Ri.

Yes, Your Highness?

What are you doing?

- Let go of me! Goodness. - Please hold still.

Your Highness!

The patrol will be here soon, so just stay put for a moment.

I am so sorry, my lady.

I am sorry as well.

The day your father is arrested,

pack light and meet me at the greenhouse.

That day, we are going to run away together.

U Hui.

You have been through so much.

- Here... - Go ahead.

Hurry.

You two can catch up later,

but change into your disguises first.

Right.

Well...

Yeo Ri, are you finished changing yet?

We are. He is certainly in a hurry.

You seem upset you will not be able to visit the greenhouse anymore.

After all, you always did love this greenhouse.

It was you I loved.

Gosh.

You can do that later. Let us go. We have a long journey ahead.

Let us go.

Who forced you to a false confession?

Grant my request, and I will tell you.

I will even testify.

Your lie almost killed the Royal Concubine,

and you dare to make demands?

How dare you?

First off, what is your request?

If you promise to spare the life of the former Chief Royal Secretary,

I will tell you everything. Please save the Chief Royal Secretary.

The former Chief Royal Secretary?

You mean Han Seok Won, who was sent into exile?

Do not tell me...

You and that official...

are lovers?

If that is your concern, do not worry.

The Left State Councilor is arrested at the Royal Investigation Office.

You think the Left State Councilor would do it himself?

His underlings have their orders.

They will be the ones to kill the Chief Royal Secretary.

What are you going to do?

She is a criminal who endangered you.

Why should I grant her wish?

But she only did it to save her lover.

If her own lover is so precious, she should know others' are too.

I am so furious at the Left State Councilor's actions.

The Left State Councilor acts as if he is the Almighty...

or the Buddha,

preying on people's weaknesses and toying with their feelings this way.

How can anyone think straight when they are in his palm?

Are you really just going to let this happen?

You always find a way to make me feel ashamed of myself.

Send former Secretary Han Seok Won to the Royal Investigation Office...

and guard him closely.

Announce the reopening of the Sinjusa case as well.

Yes, Your Highness.

Oh, my.

Right now?

I guess I am just hungry.

You are hungry?

You should go get something to eat...

Wait a minute.

They have not fed you yet?

- Why those jerks... - I did eat, but...

Your Highness, you did not feed us either.

We were in no condition to eat, were we?

The situation was extremely unusual and urgent.

- Is that not right? - I am fine, Your Highness.

I am used to such harsh treatment.

Honestly. Why would you do that?

Generosity comes from great wealth, loyalty from a full stomach. Right?

This will not do. I will treat you to great rice soup,

so my two loyal subjects, follow me.

Rice soup sounds delicious.

Hey, buy me some too!

I am hungry too.

What?

Grand Prince Je Un and the Crown Princess Consort left?

All of a sudden?

It all happened so suddenly.

They did not even get to say goodbye to me.

Gang.

I will leave right after the Left State Councilor's arrest.

What? Why so suddenly?

Surely, you understand.

If the Left State Councilor is arrested for treason,

U Hui will be arrested as well. There is no time.

Where will you go? Do you even have a plan?

Yes, I plan to go to Qing.

I heard a merchant ship is leaving for Qing from Jemulpo tomorrow.

But still, how could he leave without a word?

Gosh.

What is this?

Are you seriously putting down your spoon...

in front of me because another man left?

After all the time we spent together,

he left without a word.

I just feel so empty inside. I have lost my appetite.

Please. Just how close did you two get?

Hey, pick up your spoon now.

She finished the whole bowl.

Yes, she scraped the bowl clean.

I thought you lost your appetite.

Oh, gosh.

(Royal Investigation Office)

Left State Councilor!

What brings you here at this hour?

I deserve to die. The Crown Princess Consort...

has fled.

Send out my men and find U Hui.

Distribute her sketch to all the taverns and inns.

Block all roads leading to the ports and the border.

Under no circumstances...

is anyone else to find out.

Yes, my lord.

Gosh!

I am so exhausted. I cannot go on.

Yeo Ri, one might think you are the young lady.

How are you more exhausted than the Left State Councilor's daughter?

What, were you raised like a princess?

Actually,

it is better to serve a rich family. I have never really had it rough.

I served the Left State Councilor, and then I became a court lady.

So what kind of hardship could I have possibly known?

For crying out loud. You would think my lord was...

just some low-ranking official. My lord is royalty!

He is a Grand Prince!

Exactly.

Grand Prince Je Un and his precious lady...

hit it off, and now we are the ones suffering for it, are we not?

For someone so tired, you sure have a loud mouth, Yeo Ri.

Am I wrong?

Well, it is getting too late,

so let us stay at that inn.

- Yes, my lord. - Yes.

Please be careful.

Watch your step.

- Let me carry your... - No!

Just come on! Darn it.

Unbelievable. Such a young thing, talking back so defiantly.

U Hui.

U Hui, are you asleep?

U Hui.

Are you all right?

Wait a minute.

Are you laughing right now?

What a relief.

The pain tells me this is not a dream.

- What is this? - What?

There is nothing there.

Why do you have soot all over your face?

Oh, right.

I must have gotten it on my face while boiling water earlier.

You boiled the water yourself?

Yes.

The innkeeper seemed to be asleep.

Please. I will do that.

I do not want you to.

But why the sudden hot compress?

Because you were limping.

You noticed?

I tried so hard to hide it.

Do not hide things from me.

When you suffer in silence,

that is what hurts me the most.

I told you, did I not? I would be your brother, your friend,

your father, and your man.

That is why I am here.

So with me,

if you are angry, you can show it.

If you feel like crying,

you can cry in my arms.

So please,

do not ever hold back again.

I will even heat up the cauldron water for you tomorrow morning.

But...

- you lit a fire in the furnace? - I did.

- In the middle of summer? - Yes.

Why?

King Yeomra, it is so hot!

It is so hot.

Goodness.

Gosh! It is way too hot.

I cannot stand the fires of the fiery pit.

Sleep warm.

Please take me to the palace.

Please save me.

Why do I keep having such dreams?

Five years ago in winter,

a family from Hanyang arrived suddenly.

Who are you?

You fell into the water,

and it seems you have lost your memory.

The moment I woke up after losing my memory...

was five winters ago.

Then...

what is this memory?

Well done.

Did you sleep well, my lady?

I dreamed I was a pig sizzling on a cauldron lid.

I am telling you, I thought my back was completely cooked.

I met King Yeomra in the fires of the fiery pit.

My back was killing me, I am serious.

Where is the innkeeper? Innkeeper!

Why are the floors burning hot in the middle of summer?

You will miss Joseon's heated floors once we leave,

so think of this as one last fond memory.

Come on, U Hui. Let us go.

- We should get going. - But my back is killing me.

Just come on, hurry up.

Now that it has been revealed...

that the Left State Councilor is the master of the Jimjo,

soon he will be exposed as the culprit...

of the Gyesa Year Incident, right?

The bodies of those killed with Jimjo poison...

show the same symptoms as those who died in the Gyesa Year.

It will be easier to get to the bottom of the incident now.

You did well.

You have really been through so much.

This is just the beginning.

Now, I have to expose...

every single evil thing the Left State Councilor has done.

Lift your arms for me.

On a day as important as this,

you must look dignified, Your Royal Highness. All right?

Your attire must be impeccable.

Goodness.

I need strength more than I need dignity.

What is the matter? It is not even time for the Morning Assembly yet.

Let us just stay like this for a moment.

Let me draw some strength from you.

Gosh.

That is nice.

Your Royal Highness, may I enter for a moment?

No, you cannot. Do not come in.

- His Majesty is looking for you. - What?

What do you mean? It is time for the Morning Assembly.

Right now?

Your Royal Highness.

I trust you had a peaceful night.

No.

Left State Councilor. What are you doing here?

After a misunderstanding was cleared,

His Majesty the King personally granted my release.

That is impossible.

Why would he do such a thing?

You should hear it from His Majesty yourself.

What is the meaning of this?

We have proof that the Left State Councilor is the Jimjo's master.

So how could you possibly set him free?

The Left State Councilor...

possesses a secret pact that I wrote with my own hand.

A secret pact? What kind of pact is it?

In the Gyesa Year,

the Left State Councilor came to see me.

(Gyesa Year)

(After the former king's death)

This poison is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.

It also does not react to silver.

What is more,

the bodies of those killed by it do not decay or turn black,

nor do they bloat.

At most,

they might vomit a little blood.

Then...

is that the poison that assassinated the King and the Firstborn Prince?

Yes.

Have you found the killer?

Who is it?

Who would dare commit such a monstrous crime?

It was me.

What are you saying?

Not just the Late King and the Firstborn Prince,

but the Queen Dowager's two brothers who recently died as well.

I killed them all.

I have already done the dirty work.

So you, Prince Geumseong,

all you have to do is prepare to take the throne.

Are you telling me...

you poisoned my own brother?

I will go to the Royal Investigation Office right now,

and I will expose every one of your wicked crimes.

There is no need for that.

The Royal Investigation Office is already on their way here.

I hid this very poison...

right here in your home.

That pathetic poison...

All I have to do is find it first and tell the Office the truth!

How will you find a poison...

when you do not even know...

what you are looking for?

The choice is yours.

Be escorted by the Royal Investigation Office's men...

to the throne,

or be surrounded by them...

and be branded a traitor.

How dare you!

- Have you no fear of the skies? - I have no fear of the skies!

I have already resigned myself to the fiery pit anyway.

You must protect what is yours.

I, Lee Hui, Prince Geumseong,

shall appoint Kim Han Chul, the Minister of War,

as the Left State Councilor...

and a meritorious subject of the Gyesa Year coup.

This I do solemnly promise.

To protect my family,

I became a monstrous king who killed his brother and nephew.

He said one pact would solve it all, making him a coup contributor.

Since I was going to take the throne anyway,

I thought it would all end with just one signature.

But that was just the beginning.

I must become the King's in-law.

Give me the Crown Prince.

You want me to depose the Crown Princess?

- How could you... - Your Majesty has already...

acknowledged the Gyesa Year incident...

as a coup, have you not?

Your Majesty and I...

are already in the same boat.

One by one, I gave things away.

- Royal Father! - Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Until I lost everything.

You said I just had to make your daughter the Crown Princess.

So why? Why?

Why...

did you have to kill the Queen as well?

I could not come up with a proper way...

to depose the Crown Princess.

This was your plan all along, was it not?

To kill everyone who could help me and the Crown Prince,

and turn us into puppets that you alone could control.

Power...

is not something one shares.

So, what are you going to do about it?

With those feeble fists of yours,

are you going to behead me?

Or...

will you reveal the secret pact...

and prove that the coup was illegitimate...

all by yourself?

That is right, Your Majesty.

There is nothing...

you can do.

So just stay right where you are.

Do that, and you might just keep your life.

I was a prisoner of that secret pact.

For years, my life was a living nightmare.

They took everything from me.

But you are the one thing I managed to protect.

So, Gang...

You must survive.

Live, even if you have to be disgraced and cowardly.

It was not enough that Mother and the Crown Princess...

were driven to their deaths.

Now, I will never be able to clear their names.

I have to let them remain unjustly accused forever.

And you are telling me to live?

Can you even call that living?

I wanted to take down the Left State Councilor...

and go back to the way things were...

with you, Father.

But now,

I do not think we can ever go back to how things were.

The Crown Princess Consort fled?

Yes. I heard the court maids gossiping...

with my own two ears.

- Let us go to the Detached Palace. - Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, what brings you here?

Am I not allowed here?

Open the door.

It is just that the Crown Princess Consort...

is in no condition to receive Your Grace.

Why not?

Did she escape in the night?

Your Majesty, how can you even suggest such a thing?

Open this door!

Your Majesty.

- Get out of my way! - Your Majesty!

Despite his power, the Left State Councilor...

failed when it came to his own daughter.

Call off the Royal Wedding at once,

and punish the Left State Councilor.

Why do you hesitate?

The Crown Princess Consort...

was not to go outside the Detached Palace,

and yet, she has escaped.

Rumors are spreading among the staff that she eloped in the night.

Are you really just going to let this slide?

Nothing is certain yet.

I will act after we investigate further...

I will not beat around the bush.

The Late King, the Firstborn Prince, and all who died in the Gyesa Year.

Did you kill them all, Your Majesty?

Your Majesty! How can you say such a treasonous thing?

The Late King was in perfect health, and he had the Firstborn Prince.

There was no way you could have taken the throne.

And yet,

how is it that an opportunity that should never have arisen...

went to you?

And why is the Left State Councilor now holding all the power?

How come the Left State Councilor...

is already a free man...

when he was arrested only a few hours ago?

If that secret pact is revealed,

His Majesty will be killed.

And it is all my fault.

My father signed that pact to protect me.

The Crown Princess and Royal Mother died because of me.

But you did not know.

You did not know a single thing.

So why are you blaming yourself?

How can I ever atone for this?

How can I possibly repay this crime?

You are right.

You have to repay them.

Not with penance,

but with revenge.

Revenge?

Because the coup was a success,

the Gyesa Year incident is no longer a treason,

nor is it the Left State Councilor's weakness.

Unless my Royal Father abdicates in favor of Grand Prince Je Un...

and reveals the pact himself.

There is no other way to bring down the Left State Councilor.

Besides, Grand Prince Je Un has already left.

We cannot just drag him back and force him onto the throne.

Even if we could, Je Un is the type to just walk away.

But...

the Crown Princess Consort ran away,

so is that not a crime in its own right?

Normally, that would be considered treason.

Wait a minute.

Why is the Left State Councilor so calm?

Exactly.

He was released last night. He must know she has fled by now.

The Left State Councilor will never give up...

being the King's in-law.

He will bring her back no matter what,

and there is no way he will leave Grand Prince Je Un alone.

If the Left State Councilor catches him...

or if the Queen Dowager finds out,

Grand Prince Je Un will be in deep trouble when he is caught.

- Come take a look over here. - Hello, there.

Do you have any fish?

- We have fresh ones in the back. - Are you okay?

I am fine.

This one is really nice and plump.

They are delicious! Come and take a look.

Your Highness!

We are here to escort you.

What are you doing here?

You never move without an order from my father.

I gave the order.

I have come to retrieve what is mine.

It is time you handed her over.

- U Hui does not belong to you. - Yes. She is mine.

My most useful possession.

I will not allow anyone to use her as a pawn.

- Seize him! - Household Man.

No!

- No! - Darn it.

- Grand Prince! - My lady!

My lord...

You are nothing like the Late King, Grand Prince Je Un.

The Late King was never this recklessly brave.

He had many things he held more dear...

than your mother.

He was quite the coward too.

As if assassinating my Royal Father was not enough,

now you dare insult his honor as well!

Honor? Did the Late King ever have any to begin with?

Left State Councilor!

Left State Councilor!

Going after family is a low blow, is it not?

And going after a royal is high treason.

Back off. Unless you want to lose your heads.

You are too bold for a cornered man, Left State Councilor.

Do I seem cornered to you?

The Crown Princess Consort eloped at night with a man.

I would say that is a big problem.

It is all over for you.

The palace must have realized by now...

the Crown Princess Consort has run away.

Even if you drag her back, can she still become the Crown Princess?

Even if you go back, both you and your daughter...

will just be throwing your lives away.

Throwing our lives away?

So can you not just let them be happy together?

She is your daughter, after all.

That is precisely why...

I cannot tolerate this.

The fact that something of mine...

dared to turn its blade on me.

U Hui.

If my daughter were to die here,

no one would know...

whether she eloped...

- or if Prince Je Un kidnapped her. - Left State Councilor!

You know very well...

that I still wield that much power, do you not?

The Left State Councilor...

possesses a secret pact that I wrote with my own hand.

I...

will be the one to accept punishment.

Gang.

I will take the punishment.

U Hui must not die.

She cannot die because of me.

Please...

just put down the sword.

Do you really wish...

for blood to be spilled here?

Whether I live or die,

both sides stand to lose something precious.

Let us put this behind us and call a truce for now.

U Hui.

What do you say?

We will do as she says.

Escort the Crown Princess Consort.

U Hui.

I suppose what you held in your hands...

was not the key to my father's downfall...

but simply a foolish dream.

U Hui...

U Hui.

The Left State Councilor...

How was he released?

Why on earth was he let go?

I will explain everything.

So, you are saying...

the Gyesa Year incident was a coup,

and since it succeeded,

the Left State Councilor is free of any crime or weakness.

Is that what you are telling me?

I am so sorry.

He may have been coerced,

but it was cowardice for our Royal Father to ignore...

the Left State Councilor's crimes...

and a great sin against you.

How could that be your fault?

It is just that...

I cannot bring myself to say that it is all okay today.

I told her not to hold back anymore,

but U Hui could not show any anger in the end.

She could not even cry in my arms.

She just held it all in as she left.

Why are you so obsessed with becoming the King's in-law?

You already have everything.

So why do you covet that position so desperately?

I am just curious.

Because I want to be powerful.

How much more powerful?

To allow anyone to be more powerful than me...

is to be prepared to give up everything I have.

I wanted power,

so I placed first in the military service examination.

Even when I thought I had become powerful enough,

I was still weak in the presence of the King.

And even that powerful King...

was rendered powerless by the Queen's Family.

So you decided to become one of the Queen's Family?

To become the most powerful of all?

Power...

is harder to keep than it is to seize.

So, it is time to wake up from this foolish dream...

and live like a flower.

You will take root in this palace.

You will bloom when I tell you to, and you will wither on my command.

If you do just that,

that will be a life well-lived.

Bar the gates to the Detached Palace...

and confine the Crown Princess Consort until the Royal Wedding.

If Crown Princess Consort ever steps foot outside...

the Detached Palace,

for every step she takes,

one of the palace's court attendants will be beheaded.

Yes, Left State Councilor.

Grand Prince Je Un must be heartbroken.

I did not even know my Royal Father made such a secret pact,

and I was running my mouth about us getting revenge together.

I must look like a complete fool.

But you did not know. Why are you blaming yourself again?

I want to take down the Left State Councilor,

but I just do not know how.

You need to get a grip.

Open your eyes and see who your real enemy is.

See exactly where you need to aim your bow.

Do not get bogged down by all this useless guilt...

and let it eat you up inside.

You must be strong.

If the path is blocked, you force your way through.

And if there is no path, who cares? Just build a new one.

And most importantly, do not ever forget...

that I, your swallow, will always be by your side.

Right?

Do you understand?

And who said you could just grab the Crown Prince's face like that?

My apologies.

But did you not say I was the exception?

What, are you a mind reader now?

You know exactly what I am thinking without me saying a word.

Mind reading?

That is right.

Go on then. Keep reading my mind.

Mind reading.

Your Royal Highness. I heard you were feeling unwell.

Are you fully recovered now?

Yes, more or less.

Your Highness, as the misunderstanding...

with the Left State Councilor has been cleared,

it is time to close the case on the Jimjo incident.

The Jimjo...

was raised by the former Chief Court Lady Jo alone.

As for her niece who framed the Royal Concubine,

she will be exiled and made a government slave.

And with that, the Jimjo incident...

is hereby closed.

- Yes, Your Royal Highness! - Yes, Your Royal Highness!

Your Royal Highness, this prolonged drought...

is causing our people immense suffering.

This drought persists because yin and yang are unbalanced.

Proceeding with the Royal Wedding without delay...

is the correct course of action.

Yes, Your Highness.

The Royal Wedding must go on to stabilize ancestors and state.

And appease the skies.

They say a puppy will not fear a tiger.

And that fits him perfectly.

I knew he would tuck his tail and run.

How dare he arrest the Left State Councilor?

You can rest easy now.

The Royal Wedding is right around the corner.

This is a day to celebrate your win. Why are you so quiet?

We should at least go to Eunwol Pavilion.

Goodness. Why is it always...

the courtesan house with you, Minister Ja Gyeong?

Do you think I am suggesting it for no reason?

The other day, at Eunwol Pavilion,

I saw Hong Nan.

- The gisaeng from Eunwol Pavilion? - Yes.

Did she not suddenly disappear a few years ago?

See? I knew you would be interested.

Maybe she got kicked out of her concubine's position.

- She was back at Eunwol Pavilion. - A concubine?

Were she and the late deposed Crown Princess's brother...

not madly in love with each other?

After he died, she sold everything, left the registry, and vanished.

What? She turned down my offer for some worthless guy?

Unbelievable.

Wait.

Did you just say the deposed Crown Princess's brother?

Yes.

What is it?

This could be...

something much bigger.

Something that gives us leverage over the Crown Prince.

Something huge.

Find out all you can about a gisaeng from Eunwol Pavilion named Hong Nan,

and find out where she's staying.

Yes, sir.

Do you have something to report?

It is about the Royal Concubine's neighbors from Boryeong.

- I have taken care of them. - Good.

You may go.

If...

the Royal Concubine is actually the deposed Crown Princess,

then there is only one person who could have gotten her out.

This is absurd.

The Crown Princess Consort ran away.

Her whole family should face annihilation for this.

And you are telling me there will be a Royal Wedding?

The King has confined the Crown Princess Consort...

to the Detached Palace until the Royal Wedding.

He also ordered her to be cut off from all outside contact.

By law, the Crown Princess Consort is not allowed to leave...

the Detached Palace to begin with.

Are you trying to deceive me? What is the meaning of this?

Your Majesty, you seem to have misunderstood.

The Crown Princess Consort did not run away.

She collapsed.

And she just had to collapse outside of the Detached Palace?

- For that long? - When her father was arrested,

I let her go, fearing she would be sick with worry over her father.

She collapsed in shock on the way, recovering at a private house.

The story must have been distorted.

You create a problem to fix it?

It was you who ordered the Left State Councilor's arrest,

was it not?

Forgive me, Your Majesty.

What in the world is going on?

Why are His Majesty and you...

so helpless against the Left State Councilor?

What kind of leverage does he have on you...

that makes you continue with this absurd charade?

Forgive me, Your Majesty.

If you will just keep repeating "forgive me" like a parrot,

then get out.

Then,

I shall take my leave.

Crown Prince.

We have both lost people, have we not?

People we held dear.

Are you going to let fear paralyze you...

and walk right back into...

that fiery pit again?

The Left State Councilor...

Why on earth was he let go?

I was a prisoner of that secret pact.

For years, my life was a living nightmare.

Royal Mother! What is happening?

Royal Mother.

We have both lost people, have we not?

People we held dear.

Are you going to let fear paralyze you...

and walk right back into...

that fiery pit again?

You must be strong.

If your path is blocked,

you force your way through.

And if there is no path, who cares? Just build a new one.

Abdicate the throne to Grand Prince Je Un.

Then, Your Majesty, you must reveal the secret pact yourself.

Do you have any idea what will happen if I do?

It would not be an abdication. You would be dethroned.

And not just Your Majesty, but I, too,

will be dragged down into the abyss.

You know that, and you still dare say such a thing?

You think I like having the Left State Councilor around?

If he falls,

then I, who led a coup without just cause,

and you will have no one left to protect us.

They will all be scrambling to tear us down.

If Je Un takes the throne, he will claim to avenge the Late King.

Which means he will have to kill both you and me.

So you will just sit there, weighing the consequences,

and do absolutely nothing?

Did you not say it yourself, Your Majesty?

That you have been living in a nightmare since that day.

Anything has to be better than nightmare, right?

We should return what we took unjustly...

and take back what was stolen from us.

I will prove you signed the pact under duress,

and I will destroy the Left State Councilor!

This reckless path you are on.

Is it because of the Royal Concubine?

I am doing this for myself.

I failed to protect my mother, and the Crown Princess.

If I...

lose the woman I love again,

I will die.

My mind is made up. So,

I ask that you make yours, Your Majesty.

If the Crown Prince confronts the Left State Councilor,

the Left State Councilor will target the Royal Concubine first,

seeing her as his weakness.

That is the kind of man he is.

I must see Hong Nan.

The Crown Princess, whom I thought dead,

has returned as the Royal Concubine.

Was this your doing?

Her Highness...

threw herself into the icy water five years ago.

She lost all of her memories then.

So I...

made everyone believe she was dead.

She lost her memories?

Why would the Crown Princess make such a choice?

- I distinctly... - You gave her a letter.

A letter to fake her death and flee...

the day before she would be poisoned.

You knew exactly how the Crown Prince...

and the Crown Princess felt for one another,

yet what you gave her that day was not a letter.

It was to ease your pathetic guilt. And that...

was a death sentence,

- not a chance to live! - You insolent wench! How dare you?

Fine. Since I am already insolent, I will say what I have to say.

Did you truly wish for Her Highness to escape...

and live on safely?

Or were you just hoping she would take her own life for you?

Your Majesty.

This time,

you must save Her Highness.

It has been ages since we had meat!

Eat up.

Hong Nan.

Come have a bite.

I am fine, thank you.

More importantly, after you eat, you need to pack your things.

We are leaving for Qing.

Technically speaking, to the Crown Prince,

we are his parents-in-law.

Sorry to bring this up while we are eating.

When you buy a house, you get the outhouse too.

They just took our Dal,

and now they are exiling us to Qing. That is not right.

- Just eat. - All right.

Well...

But why?

Is it because we are a runaway court lady and eunuch?

Are we a burden to Dal?

Dal is coming with us.

What?

Are you still half asleep?

She is the Royal Concubine. Why would she go to Qing?

The truth is, Dal...

is the supposedly...

the deceased Crown Princess.

My goodness.

I heard that your family...

is staying at Unjeong Palace.

My apologies, Your Majesty.

I did not summon you here to reprimand you.

However, it is against palace protocol,

so I will arrange a separate residence for them.

Go and discuss it with your family.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

However, we must be mindful of prying eyes,

so be discreet.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Then I shall take my leave.

My dear.

In a commoner's home,

is that not what they call a daughter-in-law?

I just wanted to call you that once.

You may go.

For your thoughtfulness,

I am sincerely grateful.

The Crown Prince's Concubine.

No.

Kill the Crown Princess.

Set fire to the Royal Concubine's quarters...

and place a body of a similar build inside.

I must make the Crown Princess dead to the world once more.

Welcome, Your Highness, the Crown Princess.

Goodness. My apologies. Welcome, Royal Concubine.

It is all right.

But do I really look that much like her?

Why is everyone so shocked when they see me?

With a mole on your nose, you would be her spitting image.

A mole?

Once every 3 months, for 15 minutes,

you must cover the mole on your nose.

No one should ever recognize you.

Hong Nan has stepped out for a moment,

so please come inside for now.

- The sun is scorching. Come. - Sure.

Are you upset about...

what the servant said earlier?

No.

What do you mean, "no"? It is written all over your face.

I told you, I am not.

Yeon Sim, I bet your first love is going to come true.

Are you praying for my execution?

If a court lady's first love comes true, she loses her head.

Gosh. That is not what I meant.

In that case, may you live a long and single life.

- Is that meant to be a blessing? - Of course it is.

But what do flower petals have to do with first love, anyway?

You do not know?

- Catch a petal, your first love... - Do you know the saying?

If you happen to catch a falling flower petal,

do you know what happens?

If you catch a falling petal,

your first love will come true.

This one thing...

is mine.

Mangdeok.

Your Highness.

Come here.

Gently piling up.

It is as if little blessings are piling up like snow.

Does it not feel like a promise of happiness?

My lord!

Your small blessing for today.

It is so beautiful.

It truly is.

Your Highness. Are you all right?

You are the sole exception.

This one thing...

is mine.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

The King will order you poison. You must flee now, Your Highness!

Hong Nan...

Why did you deceive me?

Why?

(Moon River)

Have your memories returned?

The memories are back, but I am completely lost.

You want me to overthrow you and His Majesty...

and take the throne for myself?

Look at this mess the Left State Councilor has caused.

The Left State Councilor is a scary man.

He will harm the Crown Princess, no matter what.

What are you talking about?

There is no time. You have to escape.

I despise the royals who killed my family.

And I despise you too, Your Highness.

I never want to see you again, Your Highness.

(Moon River)