Original subtitles

This was all Prince Wonsan's doing!

All I wanted was to confirm if His Majesty is indeed a woman.

A woman?

The truth you have discovered

will be buried alongside you.

He is not here. Let's go.

-Yes, Commander. -Yes, Commander.

I have something to tell you, Your Majesty.

I am…

getting married.

I do not want to lose you, Your Majesty.

And this is the only way…

for me not to lose you.

Stop right there!

I have yet…

to tell you to stop.

Stop!

That is an order.

Forgive me,

Your Majesty.

I will get married.

I will do as you say.

So please

keep His Majesty's secret.

You must keep it…

no matter what.

EPISODE 18

Oh, my. How gorgeous.

The madam at Commander Jung's put a lot of thought into these gifts.

My lady.

Your Highness!

So-eun.

You did not have to bring anything. Thank you, Your Highness.

Congratulations.

Are the preparations going well?

There are still many things to arrange.

But it still feels surreal.

You seem a bit exhausted.

Is something wrong?

No, it's nothing.

Is it because of that rumor?

The one about His Majesty and Lord Jung.

I heard it too.

But do not worry, Your Highness. You know that it is not true.

The rumor will go away once he and I get married.

So do not give it another thought.

As you instructed earlier, I talked to the Ministry of Works about

the renovation of buildings and gates at the Royal Confucian Academy.

We still have some leftover rice bags from before.

And we have an excess of roof tiles.

Thus, the materials and workers…

I do not want to lose you, Your Majesty.

And this is the only way…

for me not to lose you.

So we can proceed with the renovations, Your Majesty.

Right. Scribe Jung of Seungjeongwon…

Scribe Jung. Come here.

Come join us here.

Come here.

Scribe Jung has good news.

He is getting married soon.

So he has to prepare for the wedding

and will be very busy.

So would it be all right

if Scribe Kim brings you the reports for the time being?

Yes. That will be fine.

Then we will take our leave now, Your Majesty.

I am still trying to find the poisonous herbs I told you about.

If I can find both herbs,

we can prove that the statement about the poison in the State Tribunal's records

is not true.

Are preparations for the wedding

coming along well?

Yes, Your Majesty.

I see.

Thank you for your hard work.

You may leave.

So were you able to find Lord Changun?

I wish to speak to His Majesty about the upcoming auspicious day.

Indeed. It is coming up very soon.

You have been informed of Scribe Jung's upcoming marriage, right?

Marriage? Scribe Jung is getting married?

Have you not heard?

I thought you were his best friend.

Does His Majesty know as well?

Are you all right, Your Majesty?

I am fine.

Your Majesty, I believe that is enough for the day.

I am worried that you may injure yourself.

I said I am all right.

Your Majesty.

At least let me have this. Please.

Marriage?

What is this nonsense?

It just happened that way.

A mere rumor was enough to sway your feelings?

How could you make her falter

with feelings as shallow as yours?

Fine. My feelings were shallow.

These shallow feelings were all I had.

All right?

What?

We never had a chance to be together forever anyway.

It worked out for the best.

You bastard!

Tell me why you are doing this.

You would never do something like this without a good reason.

A strange rumor is going around at the courtesan house in the Capital.

A man who resembles Lord Changun has been claiming His Majesty is a twin

and may be a woman.

I was told you wanted to see me.

Yes.

I called you because I wanted to ask you something.

Your Majesty, your herbal tonic is ready.

Come in.

Fortunately, the swelling will not persist.

Your royal physician is here.

What are you doing?

Please forgive me. It was my fault.

-See if he is hurt. -Yes, Your Majesty.

-Court Lady Kim. -Let me see.

-I am all right. I said I am fine. -My goodness.

-Goodness. -Are you hurt?

No. Thankfully, the tonic was not too hot.

I am glad to hear that. You may leave now.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I feel awful about this.

His Majesty hurt his hand while training.

I was just there to examine it.

I see. Is he all right?

Yes. I also took his pulse

and it was good as well.

He will have no problem sleeping with the Queen.

I see.

Keep an eye on him and report back no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Yes, my lord.

Just as we expected.

It's busohwa.

Was it really necessary to search everywhere just to find that?

You ought to use your brain. Not only your body.

I thought you were smart.

Did you look into the sonangcho?

Today, I have an appointment with the pharmacy owner to buy

-sonangcho. -Really?

What did I tell you? I told you I could find it.

Are you sure it is sonangcho? When? Where?

No. This is dangerous, so make sure to go with Eun-seo.

Eun-seo? He is not here.

He is really busy. He said His Majesty gave him a task.

He left for Pyeongan Province.

By the way,

you are about to get married. But look at your face.

How did you bust your lips?

Take care of yourself.

I know it was your father's idea,

but at least show some interest.

Ji-un, I think the Inspector General's daughter

has a kind heart and she seems like a nice lady.

Ji-un.

And she also takes such good care of us.

I was in the area, so I thought I would drop by.

I did not know that you would be here.

We received the wedding gifts.

Selecting them must have required some effort.

And I heard that your mother selected everything on her own.

Yes.

What happened to your face?

Oh, this.

It's nothing.

Please use this.

Lord Jung.

Is this marriage not what you desire?

That is not why…

I am sorry.

But I will try.

Even if it takes some time.

So-eun will wed Jung Ji-un,

Commander Jung's son.

Your Highness. You must get ready for your night with His Majesty.

All right.

Your Highness.

The Chief State Councilor wanted to see me earlier today, so I went.

Why would he want to see you?

Forgive me, Your Highness.

Yu-gong.

I told him everything.

That you and His Majesty have been using two sets of blankets.

What?

But I told you not to tell anyone.

Lord Sangheon was frightening when he was questioning me.

Starting today, we will be sharing a blanket.

What do you mean?

There are awful rumors going around the palace.

And to put an end to the rumors,

we must do this.

They are…

nothing more than rumors.

I will tell them to bring in another set of blankets.

When a husband and a wife sleep, there cannot be two sets of blankets.

My Queen.

I may not know everything.

But I believe the Queen is called

the mother of the state because

she is to cherish and take care of the people who serve you as her own.

But without having been with child or having given birth,

how could I understand what it means to be a mother and cherish them?

Producing an heir to continue the bloodline of the royal family

is the most important task as the Queen and it is the reason for her existence.

Please help me fulfill my duty as the Queen, Your Majesty.

Please stop.

I do not wish to hurt you more than I already have, My Queen.

Then embrace me, please.

Please stop, My Queen.

Please.

Do you truly love men, Your Majesty?

Or does your heart lie with another woman?

Please answer me.

Is it because you do not like me?

Or is there another reason?

-It is not what you think. -If it is not,

why will you not sleep with me?

Tell me why…

I would rather you select a royal concubine.

If this is something I cannot fulfill,

please select a royal concubine

to produce an heir. I beg of you.

No.

It is not because I do not like you.

I am sorry.

I know that my actions are difficult to understand.

I will soon

tell you everything.

I will tell you

why I had to do this.

I will make sure

to tell you everything.

Everything.

My father found out

about His Majesty's secret.

What?

I will do whatever is necessary to protect His Majesty.

So please…

pretend you do not know anything.

I beg of you.

Someone came to the pharmacy and asked about sonangcho.

Father.

What are you doing here?

Were you the one looking for sonangcho?

Did you also know

the truth about the late King's death?

What are you trying to achieve with that now?

I will get to the bottom of his death.

If you wish to reveal the truth about his death,

you will have to expose me too.

If you committed a crime,

you must face the consequences too.

That pharmacy is under Lord Sangheon's supervision.

And he is very strict in his supervision.

Are you saying

that this is a trap?

Jil-geum…

Jil-geum is there.

Stop worrying about him. It is probably too late now.

Are you telling me I should let him suffer again because of me?

When I had been hurt by you

and had wanted to end my life, my friends made me want to live again.

Without them, I would not have been able to endure…

those times.

How much farther must we go?

Do you even have sonangcho?

We are almost there.

I cannot sell such a rare herb out in the open.

Right. It is quite rare.

By the way, why are you looking for such a deadly herb?

Oh, that?

I have my reasons. I told you not to ask.

What is this?

He is the man looking for sonangcho.

If you wish to remain breathing, I suggest you tell me the truth.

Why are you looking for sonangcho?

Pardon?

I heard it was a rare herb. So I just wanted to see it…

Please spare me.

Tell me who sent you.

It was me.

Ji-un!

I am the one who sent him.

Ji-un.

We should go, Jil-geum.

Get them!

Stop!

What brings you here?

I will take care of this. So you can all step back.

Lord Sangheon ordered us to bring the man

looking for sonangcho at any cost.

I told you to step back!

Do you not hear me?

I will report this to Lord Sangheon.

Step back.

Ji-un.

You were not here this afternoon. So I picked them out myself.

I wanted to thank you for wanting to help at the wedding.

Of course, I will. You did not have to get me anything.

I heard Lord Jung cherishes you and your brother like his own siblings.

Could I consider you two my siblings too?

I really want to get along with you and your brother like family.

Of course.

Yeong-ji!

Ji-un!

-Lord Jung! -Get me something to stop the bleeding.

Oh, no. Ji-un!

Ji-un, please wake up.

Ji-un.

What happened? Why is he hurt like this?

Well…

It has reached Lord Sangheon's ears?

A good number of people

heard Lord Changun talking about twins when he was drunk.

So you still have not found him?

If Lord Sangheon finds him first

and makes him talk, I will be in trouble.

Go and find my uncle.

Yes, my lord.

Were you really behind this?

What are you plotting?

I told you to go and find my uncle.

You must put an end to this.

Uncle is dead.

Dead?

Did you see who killed him?

How could you have done something so evil?

Why are you going this far?

Do you…

truly not know why?

I was always curious as to why you were so loyal to the King.

Hyun, you knew all along, didn't you?

That His Majesty was a woman.

Your heart has been misplaced, Hyun.

-Find him! -Yes, my lord!

I did not expect Lord Sangheon to come find me this soon.

You cannot go like this.

Come with me to see His Majesty.

If you give up and ask for forgiveness,

I will look for a way to save you too.

It is too late. Step back.

You cannot possibly wish to hand over the lives of our family

because of your love for her.

What are you planning to do after you meet Lord Sangheon?

I will take back what is rightfully mine.

Jeong, please!

A woman cannot be King, Hyun.

Escort him.

Please sit, Lord Wonsan.

You faked Lord Changun's death

to dethrone His Majesty when he was the Crown Prince?

It seems you still have not let go of your vain desires.

You have already checked the umbilical cord.

Can you still say my desires are in vain?

You are the one with vain desires, as you refuse to give up

despite knowing you are at a disadvantage.

It was quiet at the palace.

Then you must not be aware that His Majesty was attacked by assassins.

His coat string was ripped during the attack.

It is in my knowledge that Commander Jung was at the scene as well.

I wonder why he hid it.

Are you not anxious?

A young king who is infatuated with a man and refuses to sleep with the Queen.

I am sure you are aware

that the recipient of His Majesty's passion is a man.

Unless you came here to end your life tonight,

I do not see how you would benefit

from provoking me by crossing lines.

Do you remember?

Ten years ago,

shortly after the royal preceptor died,

His Majesty behaved like a different person for a while.

Back then, we all thought it was because he was in shock.

But what if His Majesty had been switched back then?

How dare you!

How dare you ridicule His Majesty and me

with your preposterous claim?

Do you want me to tear your mouth apart?

You still have a chance.

I can be of use to you.

What do you think about joining hands with me?

Lock him up right now!

I will leave on my own.

You will have no choice

but to come to me soon.

What do you mean he knows everything?

It was my brother

who sent our uncle to attack you.

I believe he plotted this to find out if you are a woman.

He is most likely telling Lord Sangheon about it right now.

What should we do now?

Goodness, Court Lady Kim.

Your Majesty. What should we do?

We must make our move first.

What Lord Wonsan knows is only speculation.

So my grandfather will not act in haste.

Have you had a good night's sleep?

Yes.

What brings you all the way to my quarters, Chief State Councilor?

Last night,

foolish thoughts consumed me and distracted me from my sleep.

I have been hearing

that things between you and His Majesty have not been going well.

They are…

only rumors.

His Majesty cherishes me a lot.

I am sure we will have good news soon.

Please do not worry.

Ji-un.

Are you all right? Can you get up?

What happened? What about Jil-geum?

You should be worried about yourself.

Jil-geum is fine. No need to worry about him.

Lady So-eun looked after you all night.

She just left.

Your Majesty.

I miss you…

so much.

I want to always be by your side.

Still no news regarding the sonangcho?

It seems they are still looking for it.

I am sure Royal Physician Seo obtained the herb and gave it to my grandfather.

We must get him to confess while we wait.

But what if he does not confess?

You will only be raising more of Lord Sangheon's suspicions.

You are right, Your Majesty.

He already started to suspect you.

It is only a matter of time before he finds out the truth.

Whatever we do, we must hurry.

Send Eun-seo right away.

Why did you not tell me

Lord Changun attacked His Majesty?

We were coming back from Officer Yoon's grave.

So His Majesty did not wish to reveal it.

You were following the royal command?

Then when I ordered you to bring Lord Changun to me,

you should have at least informed me then.

Please forgive me.

I thought that it would not be too late to inform you

after I had caught him and confirmed it first.

I see. You may leave.

Keep an eye on Commander Jung.

Yes, my lord.

Your Majesty.

Where is Eun-seo?

He just arrived at Seonwonjeon, the Royal Portrait Hall.

What brings you here at this hour?

Where were you headed?

I was feeling lonesome, so I was on my way out for a stroll.

Then I would like to chat with you.

I have many interesting things to share.

Sure. That sounds lovely as well.

Your uncle who was presumed dead

came back in the flesh

and tried to kill you, Your Majesty.

But it turned out he was not trying to kill you.

He was trying to confirm if a ridiculous rumor was true.

A rumor?

That the King was born a twin.

And that he shared the womb with a twin sister.

That in itself would make things difficult for you to keep the throne.

But he claimed that the siblings had secretly been switched,

and that the girl was now the King of Joseon.

What do you think?

Very interesting, is it not?

Yes, it is very interesting indeed.

People outside the palace say

that a flesh-eating monster lives deep inside the palace.

When I was young, I was afraid of coming face to face with it.

So I never left my chamber at night.

But after a long time passed,

I realized they were talking about you.

Well…

it seems these rumors of the palace

are sometimes exaggerated to the point of absurdity.

Is that so?

But Your Majesty…

The rumor is not entirely groundless.

When you were born, you indeed had a twin sister.

I ordered Your Majesty's twin sister

to be killed.

You ordered her to be killed?

Yes.

And the people who knew about your sister are gone as well.

Because I ordered them to be killed.

Why did you do it?

Why did you do such a cruel thing?

This was all for you, Your Majesty.

Unlike the commoners,

the birth of twins is considered an ominous sign at the palace.

The late King who ascended to the throne after murdering his nephew

was more afraid than anyone that people would find out about the twins.

Thus, I was not left with much choice.

I could either kill you and your sister both

or only kill your sister and keep it secret.

Those were my choices.

Why are you telling me this right now?

If anyone else finds out about this,

I will kill them all.

I will kill anyone who stands in your way.

I trust…

that you will acknowledge my loyalty to you, Your Majesty.

As long as you do,

I…

will have no regrets even if people call me a monster.

You must pack up and leave the palace now.

What…

Your Majesty.

No, Your Majesty. How could you tell us to leave now?

I will never leave your side.

With you here, I cannot win this fight.

My grandfather will hold you hostage and force me to tell the truth.

But what are you going to do?

I will reveal that my grandfather

killed my father and plotted treason.

I have the ledger from Yeoyeon,

and if I can find sonangcho through Royal Physician Seo,

I can do it.

But everyone in the royal court follows Lord Sangheon.

You told us that it would not be enough to bring him down.

Given this turn of events, I must try.

It will not take long.

I will make this work no matter what and bring you back.

I want you to be there

when I pass the throne to Gyeom.

-Your Majesty. -Your Majesty.

Have faith in me.

I…

will not die.

You know better than anyone…

what I have endured to come this far.

We have become a hindrance.

Please forgive us, Your Majesty.

It is my understanding that you have the girl's body.

I must see her body.

Why?

Do you not trust your man, Jung Seok-jo?

Ten years ago, shortly after the royal preceptor died,

His Majesty behaved like a different person for a while.

Only commoners play with something like this.

How did you get this?

That…

Crown Prince, what is your take on this?

Is marriage what you desire?

Please be more considerate of them

and postpone the royal wedding just a little bit.

What I mean is that you were wrong

to have gotten involved in the murder of a lowly girl.

A petty life, did you say?

There is no such thing as a petty life.

And there is not a single person who should die for no reason.

Please take care of them, Hyun.

I will come back right away after taking them to a safe place.

Bok-dong.

Take good care of Court Lady Kim.

Yes, Your Majesty. I will take good care of her.

Do not worry.

Once everything is settled, I will come to get you.

You must.

You must come even if it is late at night.

We will wait for you with the lanterns on. You must come to us.

Follow me.

I do not know what His Majesty plans to do alone.

There is…

a place we must stop by.

What brings you here

at this hour?

I have something to tell you.

YEON-SEON

His Majesty was once a court maid in the palace.

And His Majesty's name back then…

was Dam-i.

Commander Jung killed the Prince,

mistaking him for Dam-i.

It was His Majesty's wish that this remained a secret to you.

But your father

poses the gravest danger to His Majesty.

So I ask that you protect His Majesty.

I beg of you

to protect His Majesty.

Lotus flowers brought me to you,

so I thought the name would be fitting.

Yeon-seon.

She told me to give these to you if I ever met you.

LONGING, NOT

She told me they would help you stay strong when things get hard

just like they had been helpful for her.

That court maid…

LIST OF COURT MAIDS

…died.

That girl must have been someone quite special to you.

She was my first love.

We were born twins.

Me and my brother, the eldest son of the Crown Prince.

After he died…

I had to take his place.

I may not be able

to tell you everything later on.

JWAJEON

YEON-SEON

Dam-i.

Is it you, Your Majesty?

Are you Dam-i?

I wish to break off the engagement.

One who covets the crown must be coldhearted.

I am sorry, Hyun.

-Lord Jaeun! -Lord Jaeun!

Please forgive me, Your Majesty.

What is the path you have chosen for your life?

No. You should kill me instead! He has done nothing wrong!

The twin sister did not die.

I am his twin sister.

Subtitle translation by: Won-hyang Son