Original subtitles

(This program is a work of imagination...)

(based on historical figures.)

(It may include fictitious details and psychological description.)

(Episode 10)

Did you see my signal kite?

You saw it, right?

Yes.

I saw it.

See?

I said I would protect you.

You're busy protecting this nation,

and I'm busy protecting you.

I wonder who's busier.

You or...

Stop being stupid and get some rest.

Here?

It'd be dangerous though.

I'll protect you.

Then excuse me...

for taking a rest for a moment.

I am very tired now.

When I saw that signal kite,

I knew it would be you.

It had to be you.

When I thought I could die,

I was reminded of someone.

I desperately prayed...

to see her face...

at least one more time.

It was you,

Duk Im.

Everyone is looking for you.

Tell them to wait.

Just a little more.

You do not have time to care about a lowly court maid.

You need to find who is behind the traitors...

and lead the soldiers.

Come with me.

Are you not curious?

Who flew the signal kite and saved me.

It is her.

I promised I would protect her...

until she wakes up.

I cannot go right now.

I also save you.

Until the guards arrived,

I urged on a horse without rest for a second.

I was running out of breath but I did not stop.

Just to protect you,

so many people risked their lives...

and lost their lives for you.

So please come back.

To the place where you are supposed to be.

You must protect everyone in this nation.

Don't say you'd be satisfied enough...

to protect just one woman.

Goodness.

Oh, goodness.

Gosh, Your Highness.

I'm so glad you're safe.

Lady Seo.

Duk Im.

She's just exhausted.

I promised...

I'd keep her side until she wakes up.

Stay with her on my behalf.

Yes, Your Highness.

We have a problem, my lady.

The Crown Prince is returning...

with the soldiers of the Capital Defense Command.

What?

My lady, what should we do?

Immediately, the Second State Councilor...

No.

Get ready. I'll be off to meet the Central Council Supervisor.

Yes, my lady.

Welcome.

Please come inside.

Sure.

How delicious.

Here, pour me some drink.

My lord, you drank too much.

Why don't you stop now?

No!

What's wrong with drinking?

I'm no longer part of the royal court.

I have nothing to do but to drink all night.

Stop nagging and just pour me a drink.

Look who this is.

It's my sworn sister.

I'm so honored that you came to visit me.

Now that you're here,

pour me a drink.

Here.

Not water...

I'm sober.

I'm all sober.

I need you to help me...

survive from going down.

I thought I'd go down first.

Are you going to help?

What have you done?

I heard the news about your dismissal...

and hired assassins...

to assassinate the Crown Prince.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out.

So help me.

Or we'll go down together.

Why did it have to fall through?

It would've been so nice otherwise.

So what's the way to survive?

You must be here with some kind of way.

Time, I guess.

The time I've lived.

During that time,

I've watched the King.

And I know him...

more than anyone else...

in this world.

It wasn't so easy for a servant's son to become king.

He was betrayed many times,

and betrayed even more people.

He doesn't fully trust anyone.

Request an audience with him right now.

He will grant you.

The Crown Prince is...

coming to the capital with the Capital Defense Command.

The people are extremely confused and scared...

to have seen that sight.

"Why did he mobilize the Capital Defense Command?"

If you ask him...

He will definitely claim like this.

"Someone attempted high treason of murdering the Crown Prince."

- However... - However,

I think it's just an excuse.

He wanted to show the whole nation...

the presence of the proud emperor...

with countless soldiers under his command.

That will only...

buy us some time.

He will send a temporary envoy...

to investigate this case.

(A temporary envoy is sent to deal with cases outside the capital.)

High treason actually happened.

It will take...

about 10 days for him to complete the investigation.

The truth will be revealed in the end.

Nothing will change.

My lord.

Do you think I'll sit back and do nothing...

during those 10 days?

I told you already.

I know about him more than anyone else in the world.

Sung Duk Im.

Yes, my lord.

I heard you used to work at the Crown Prince's library.

Yes.

Take the books to the library.

And guard the place for the time being.

Yes.

It's the book you requested.

Master Hong.

Do you know why His Highness is moving palaces?

It's a royal command.

So why all of a sudden...

I don't know.

I am sure he is well.

Everything will be fine.

It is not that the King does not trust the Crown Prince.

He just wants to make sure of everything.

The temporary envoy has already been dispatched.

When he returns, the King will know the truth.

Your Highness.

The Crown Prince nearly lost his life.

The thought of losing my son...

The Crown Prince does not show,

but it must be painful.

The King yelled at the Crown Prince to return the wooden plaque...

when he experienced conspiracy.

The Crown Prince knows that the King suspects him.

Please consider the Crown Prince's heart.

You are the Crown Prince's mother.

It is normal for you to consider his heart.

However,

I must consider the King's heart who is my husband.

This is better.

- Yes, Your Highness. - Yes, Your Highness.

I heard the Crown Prince was ordered...

to move to a different place.

Right next to the King's Palace.

Since the King cannot trust him,

he wants to keep the Crown Prince by his side and watch him.

Do you think so?

Maybe he wants to keep the Crown Prince by his side...

and protect him since he is precious.

Do you think so?

I am not sure.

It may be both.

The temporary envoy will return soon.

Time will give us the answer.

The preparation is easier thanks to your help.

I hope it will be a joyful banquet.

Are you slacking off?

Stop dozing off and grind the ink stick.

Yes, Your Highness.

I miss him.

Are you slacking off?

You were safe, Your Highness.

You saw me that day.

It was too hectic that day.

Are you hurt?

As you can see, I am fine.

Did you...

cry?

Did something happen?

I yawned when I was dozing off.

If you slacked off,

you shall be punished.

Then I also deserve a reward.

You should reward me when I deserve it.

You do deserve it.

What do you want?

You sound like you would do anything for me.

I will...

do anything for you.

What is it that you want?

That is a humble wish for once in a lifetime chance.

You only wanted to use the telescope?

I was curious every time I saw you using it.

You would not understand what it feels like to only watch.

The telescope does not seem to be enough.

Think of another wish.

Yes, Your Highness.

Your Highness. Your eye looks as big as a saucer.

Your Highness. Did you know you have a mole on your earlobe?

What else is there?

Why are you just standing there?

"How rude!"

You should yell at me.

Duk Im.

Yes?

Who did you miss in the library earlier?

That made you cry.

I miss him.

Duk Im.

Duk Im.

I cannot pretend it anymore.

And I do not want to.

If...

you feel the same way I do...

So what I want to say is...

I...

- think... - Please.

Do not say it. I beg you.

Why?

Why is that?

You told me to think of a wish.

It is for you to take the throne.

Until that day,

do not think of anything else.

You must become a good king.

You cannot spare your time to think about anything else.

Is that your wish?

Yes.

I see.

I will go back now.

Please be safe.

I will not be able to come for a while.

Take care.

I hope...

you stay safe as well.

(Sungjeongjeon)

Have you waited for a long time?

No, I have not. Did you come from the annexed quarter?

Yes.

Lady Sung must have been there as well then.

Just take her.

Once you lay her,

the passion will disappear in vain.

It is a common thing everyone goes through.

Do not talk about her.

It is an order.

Yes, Your Highness.

Hello.

I fell asleep.

I was so glad that you had called me...

that I came immediately.

Except for the Royal Secretary,

you all leave.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Why do you look so worried?

Are you concerned about the Crown Prince?

He is near the capital with soldiers from Guard Bureau.

Hey.

You made a promise with me...

that you would not talk about politics.

My apologies.

I...

think there are not many days left until I can see you.

Before I leave,

I should give something to you.

Royal Secretary, write down my order.

Yes, Your Majesty.

To Head Lady Cho,

I give a house in Bukchon...

and 100 yang.

I will use my privy purse,

so make sure the censorial officials do not say anything about it.

Yes, Your Majesty.

That is too much.

A house in Gungmal is enough for a court lady.

(Gungmal is a village court ladies live after leaving the palace.)

How can I dare to dream of having a house in Bukchon?

These days,

I am forgetting more and more things...

as days go by.

I am tired of desperately pretending that I am not.

Before I even forget about you,

I have something to say.

I was very sorry.

Now,

I do not have many days left.

Forget all the things...

that upset you in the past.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

I was too foolish...

to realize my feelings.

I know now.

For a long time,

I think...

I have been waiting for you to say this.

Can I ask one thing?

I could not dare to say it out loud.

For decades,

I have been thinking about this alone.

Say it.

Why was it Consort Yeong, not me?

When I look at you,

I feel like I am looking at a mirror.

You and I...

are the same kinds of people.

Consort Yeong was a kind person.

When I was with her,

I could rest comfortably.

And you could not do it...

when you were with me.

I am sorry.

No.

I'm rather delighted.

I was given an answer to my long-time question.

Are you okay?

Today's the 15th of this month.

A lot of court maids...

hang themselves on the 15th of a month.

That moon is the problem.

It makes them realize as they stare at it.

Just how futile it is to live as a court maid.

I'll offer the house in Bukchon...

to Princess Hwawan.

Instead,

please send my message to her.

The following is her message.

"A married princess is bound to live outside the palace."

But you managed to live a comfortable life in the palace...

only thanks to the King's favor.

But the Crown Prince will take the throne soon.

Everything will change.

Tell her...

to brace herself...

because she'll have to leave the palace soon.

I will...

get kicked out of the palace?

Mother, I'll take care of you.

So don't worry...

I'm the King's daughter.

How can you be so calm...

when I'll be kicked out of the palace?

Wait and see.

I won't just let them get the best of me.

I'm suspicious of you.

If you keep hiding,

I'll have no choice but to tell Head Lady Cho.

What are you talking about?

I'm not hiding anything.

Whether you wanted it or not,

you've become one of us...

when you put your name on the list.

Always remember that.

What,

I wondered who it was, and it's you, Duk Im.

How is it working at the library?

It's like I'm back to being a trainee.

How are things in the East Palace?

Confusing.

Without the Crown Prince's presence.

Everyone's complaining...

that the people in the palace are treating us like liars...

after what we went through at the Royal Temporary Palace.

Right.

My lady, I haven't been able to see you lately,

so I'm stopping by during my visit in the East Palace.

I'll be going then.

Okay.

Take care, you too.

Okay.

Duk Im, what's wrong?

There's something you must know.

You're lying.

Please tell me you are.

Stop making a fuss.

According to what you said,

Young Hee's story was all true.

Yes.

- This is unbelievable. - You're shocked just as I am.

I'd be crazy if I'm not.

The secret organization of court maids actually exists.

And Lady Seo is part of it.

It's all my assumption from now on.

Gwanghan Palace might be...

behind the recent high treason.

Are you saying Head Lady Cho is a traitor?

Why do you think so?

It's just my gut feeling.

Hey, you can't just follow your gut about something this serious.

Hurry and ask Lady Seo.

She might not answer.

She predicted the high treason in the first place.

However,

she didn't tell me that Gwanghan Palace was behind it.

Why didn't she?

She might not want it.

She probably doesn't want Gwanghan Palace...

to disappear.

Why?

She wants to protect her master, the Crown Prince.

But she doesn't want to betray her lifetime colleagues.

She's hesitating.

Duk Im, one thing's certain though.

She told you all about it because she worried about you.

She hopes nothing dangerous will happen to you.

What do you want to do?

I...

want to protect her.

Duk Im?

I'll explain on our way.

For now, follow me quietly.

Okay.

Head Lady Cho's not at her residence tonight.

She went to Jibgyeongdang...

to prepare for the upcoming banquet.

Duk Im, don't tell me you...

I'll sneak in there and find the name list...

to erase your name.

Do you know how dangerous this is?

- I know. - Let's go back.

If the temporary envoy returns,

the Gwanghan Palace will be revealed.

Then you'll be killed too.

I promised that I'd find a way.

That I'd protect you no matter what.

We'll give you a signal if someone comes.

Thank you.

If I don't come out until the sunrise,

go back without me.

My lady, I'll check this side.

Search somewhere else.

Okay.

What is taking them so long?

Should we go in?

We should wait for some more.

It is the head court lady.

It is too late. She has seen us.

What are you doing in front of my room at this hour?

We...

We are...

here to say hello to you.

That is right.

She is the daughter of a famous translator.

Did you know?

Her father told her to say hello to you.

My goodness.

My lady.

My goodness.

This is a secret gate to Gwanghan Palace.

- A secret gate? - Yes.

I did not know this gate was here.

Every time I entered it, my eyes were covered.

My lady.

My lady.

My lady.

My lady.

My lady.

You seem busy. We will leave now.

My lady.

The list might be here somewhere.

- We should look for it. - Yes.

The court maids who visited me earlier.

They are Sung Duk Im's friends, are they not?

Yes, My lady.

Bring Sung Duk Im to me now.

Yes.

My lady. Can you help me?

Duk Im.

This is a winter hat.

(The hat one wears when it is cold)

I mean Court Lady Park.

I wonder what she had to give to the Crown Prince.

It was probably the winter hat.

And the head court lady took it away from her.

Court Lady Park disappeared after that.

- My lady! - My lady!

My lady!

My lady!

- My goodness. - My lady!

- My goodness. - My lady!

My lady.

What happened?

Please wake up. My lady.

My lady.

My lady. We must bring her out of here.

Yes.

- My lady. - My lady.

My lady. Can you walk?

Be careful.

Do you pay your respects to the King every day?

Yes, Mother.

Did he say anything else?

No.

San, smile.

You should not look blue like this.

His Majesty likes bright people.

You should make him feel better at the banquet tomorrow.

There was treason...

and I almost lost my life.

The King who has to believe me...

is suspecting me.

Should I...

still smile?

It is for your survival.

I...

have never smiled sincerely...

after Father had passed away.

I still survived.

And I will keep doing so.

Your Highness, the King will grant an audience soon.

I, in turn, lied to Mother.

Come to think of it,

I smiled quite often.

After meeting you, I always smiled.

You always made me smile.

Right, Duk Im?

Oh.

My lady, I will stay here today.

You go back to the palace.

People will suspect you if you keep shirking your duty.

Right. Then I will come back tomorrow.

Take care of her.

Yes.

Her Highness came.

Your Highness.

I will never be kicked out of the palace.

Find a way.

To keep the Crown Prince from taking the throne.

Are you not my person?

I am always...

your person.

She will help you.

Tell me...

a way to bring the Crown Prince down...

at once.

Mother.

Are you hiding something from me by any chance?

It is nothing.

I am just doing something I can do...

while Father is still healthy and alive.

I am sorry but you were not invited.

All rise for the King.

All rise for the Queen.

Sit down quickly.

Hurry and sit down.

Seeing everyone together...

makes me happy.

This is what you call a family gathering.

Do you not agree, Queen?

Yes, Your Majesty.

Yes.

San.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Why do you look so blue?

Did something happen?

It is nothing.

After becoming a regent,

I have always had a heavy heart.

I did not know...

how hard it is to govern the country.

If you know that it is hard,

it means you are doing well.

Doing something difficult...

as if it is easy is a problem.

I will keep that in mind.

Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask.

What is it?

This banquet was originally planned for the Crown Prince...

to present you with an honorary name and congratulate you.

I know that you already refused an honorary name,

but please consider his feelings once again.

So are you telling me to accept an honorary name?

It is the Crown Prince's dearest wish.

Is that so?

No grandfather can refuse...

when his grandson feels that way.

Thank you for your generosity.

By the way,

why is there not much food?

There are so many people.

This is not enough.

Your Majesty, in fact, everyone here...

prepared food for you.

I see.

They prepared it so that it can please you.

Please accept it.

Of course, I should.

My lady, I am very happy.

I could not prepare any food. I am sorry.

Queen.

You have attended to me all this time.

Your Majesty, do you want to guess which dish they have prepared?

Really?

Your Highness.

Wouldn't it be too much of a hassle?

No.

My Queen's idea sounds fun.

I know I can guess everything right.

Serve the dishes.

Yes, Your Highness.

Wait.

What is happening inside?

Excuse me?

I don't understand what you mean.

If it's about the banquet,

do not worry.

Everything's going smoothly.

Without a single error.

I got it right about Consort Moon's dumpling soup.

I got it right about Princess Hwawan's nanlohoe.

Now whose dish would it be?

Hurry up and bring it in.

- Wait. - Let me see.

All right.

His Majesty despises certain food.

It's raw persimmon and marinated crab.

It was supposedly used for poisoning the former king to death.

All his life, he suffered from the rumors...

that he poisoned his brother, King Gyeongjong, with the food.

It has haunted...

the King like a wretched curse.

If that food is served,

what will happen...

to the Crown Prince?

Raw persimmons...

and marinated crab.

Let me see.

Who prepared...

these dishes for me?

No...

Let me see.