The Perfect Crown Review – A Royal Romance That Lost Its Way

Our story begins with a narrator explaining that the royal family’s history dates all the way back to the Joseon Era. While they no longer hold much political power, the monarchy still plays an important ceremonial role, and being born into the royal family carries enormous social status. We then meet our female lead, Seong Hui Ju, during her high school years at Seonggyungwan. The school is filled with students from prestigious royal families who look down on Hui Ju for being the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy business family rather than royalty. To make matters worse for them, she’s also the smartest student in the school, constantly finishing at the top of her class despite their resentment.

Several years pass and Hui Ju has taken over one of her father’s companies, Castle Beauty, where she’s known for running a very strict operation that keeps all of her employees on edge. With the Crown Prince’s birthday celebration approaching, she plans to attend the royal event and use the publicity to boost her company’s sales. Around the same time, we’re introduced to our male lead, Grand Prince Yi An, along with his loyal right-hand man, Choi Hyun.

That evening, the birthday banquet gets underway with guests arriving in elegant but fairly modest outfits. Hui Ju, however, makes sure all eyes are on her by showing up in a stunning red suit that’s considered completely inappropriate for the occasion. Inside the palace, she reunites with her older brother, Tae Joo, and the two immediately fall into their usual bickering. The guests are then invited into the dining hall where Yi An makes an entrance fashionably late, still dressed in his hunting clothes. Queen Mother Yi Rang is far from amused and wastes no time publicly scolding him for his lack of respect.

After dinner, Hui Ju runs into her close friend, Prime Minister Jeong Woo, and the two spend a few moments catching up. Once they part ways, Jeong Woo secretly meets with Yi An where we learn that the Queen Mother has been relentlessly pushing the Grand Prince toward marriage. As soon as Yi An marries, his position as regent will pass to Jeong Woo—something neither of them wants. To avoid that outcome, Yi An convinces Jeong Woo to use his influence in parliament to delay or block the marriage altogether.

Not long after, Yi An catches Hui Ju wandering through a section of the palace that’s off-limits to guests. He offers to overlook it as long as she quietly leaves, but before either of them can go, a loud explosion echoes through the palace grounds. They rush toward the commotion and discover that a fire has broken out. The sight immediately triggers Yi An’s PTSD since the king died in a palace fire three years earlier. Queen Mother Yi Rang arrives moments later, blames Yi An for what happened, and shocks everyone by slapping him in front of the crowd. The tension eases slightly when the eight-year-old Crown Prince, Yi Yun, is found safe, while Jeong Woo quickly takes control of the situation by ordering his staff to investigate the fire and manage the inevitable media frenzy.

After witnessing the uncomfortable confrontation, Hui Ju decides to leave the palace early and heads home with her secretary, Do Hye Jung. During the drive, we’re taken back to Hui Ju’s very first encounter with Yi An when they were both students at Seonggyungwan. After catching her sneaking onto the archery field to practise at night, Yi An listens as Hui Ju points out the school’s blatant favouritism. His request for private training had been approved simply because he was royalty, while hers had been rejected despite her talent. After saying her piece, she gives him a respectful bow and quietly walks away.

The following day, Queen Mother Yi Rang apologises to Yi An for slapping him. She explains that she’s worried his role as regent is beginning to overshadow the Crown Prince. Everywhere they go, people seem to admire Yi An more than the young heir, and she fears that the balance of the monarchy is beginning to shift. Her concerns lead us into a flashback where we learn that even Yi An’s father was afraid of him forgetting his place. Determined to remind everyone that Yi An was only the Grand Prince and never the Crown Prince, the king even changed his royal title twice. To prove his loyalty to the royal family, Yi Rang insists that Yi An marry a woman of her choosing.

Meanwhile, the marriage issue spills into Hui Ju’s own life. After discovering that her father has started searching for a husband on her behalf, she storms over to his house, furious. She tears into both her older brother and his wife for helping organise the list of potential suitors and is even more offended that every candidate is beneath her socially and professionally. They remind her that she’s still the illegitimate daughter of the family and shouldn’t expect much better. Hui Ju couldn’t care less. Instead, she makes it crystal clear to her father that she’ll do everything in her power to ruin any plans to marry her off before throwing one final jab at her brother for good measure.

Elsewhere, we meet the Queen Mother’s father, Lord Sung Won, who quietly warns her to keep her emotions under control whenever Yi An is involved. Back at Castle Group, Hui Ju decides that if she’s going to get married, she’ll do it on her own terms. Rather than settling for one of her father’s handpicked candidates, she concludes that the only marriage worthy of her is one into the royal family itself. Naturally, she sets her sights on Grand Prince Yi An and submits a formal request for a royal audience. At the same time, the public continues debating Yi An’s decision to wear a cheolik to the birthday banquet, leaving him in no mood to meet with anyone. He refuses every audience request that comes his way—including Hui Ju’s.

That decision only motivates Hui Ju even more. What follows is a montage of Yi An repeatedly refusing to meet her while Hui Ju stubbornly keeps submitting new requests anyway. Eventually, she reminds him that she’s his junior from Seonggyungwan, and that small connection is enough for him to finally agree to see her. The meeting itself is surprisingly short. Hui Ju calmly asks him to marry her, Yi An immediately says no, and just like that the audience is over. Rather than taking the rejection personally, Hui Ju sees it as the beginning of a challenge. She immediately calls her PR manager, gets hold of Yi An’s schedule, and spends the next several days conveniently appearing everywhere he happens to be.

Later, Yi Rang reflects on the day the king died. We learn that before the fire broke out, the king had planned to abdicate the throne and hand it over to Yi An instead of allowing the Crown Prince to inherit it. Furious at the idea, Yi Rang burned the royal decree bearing the king’s seal and declared that she’d rather see him dead than let Yi An become king. Moments later, the palace fire began, claiming the king’s life before the announcement could ever be made.

Some time later, the annual Economic Honours of Korea ceremony arrives. The young Crown Prince, Yi Yun, struggles with the pressure of attending such an important event by himself, so Yi An quietly steps in to support him through the ceremony. Hui Ju is also in attendance and receives one of the evening’s awards. 

After sharing her award online, Hui Ju settles in for a staycation at the hotel hosting the event. Jeong Woo invites her to dinner to celebrate, and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that his feelings for her go well beyond friendship. Meanwhile, Yi An’s health begins acting up again, forcing him to stay at the same hotel. Refusing to make a scene by going to the hospital, he sends Choi Hyun out to collect medicine and food instead. On his way back, Choi Hyun unexpectedly runs into Hui Ju, who immediately calls in her private doctor. After examining Yi An, the doctor discovers that he’s been suffering from severe insomnia. Once the doctor leaves, Hui Ju asks him to keep the visit confidential. While Yi An rests, Hui Ju and Choi Hyun quietly eat together until Queen Mother Yi Rang suddenly arrives. Choi Hyun desperately tries to hide Hui Ju, but Yi Rang spots her handbag sitting on the sofa and heads straight for the bedroom. There, she finds Hui Ju standing beside Yi An while his shirt is partially unbuttoned. Unsurprisingly, she demands an explanation first thing the next morning.

The next morning, news of the hotel incident reaches the media and speculation immediately runs wild. Reporters begin claiming that Hui Ju is secretly dating Grand Prince Yi An, and things spiral even further when photos of her private doctor leaving the hotel surface. Before long, rumours spread that she’s pregnant. Rather than panicking, Hui Ju sees the entire scandal as free publicity and immediately starts planning how to use it to Castle Beauty’s advantage. Unsurprisingly, Tae Joo is less than thrilled to see his sister dominating the headlines once again.

That evening, Yi An invites Hui Ju to his private residence to apologise for dragging her into the scandal. He asks what she wants in return, and Hui Ju doesn’t hesitate for a second. She tells him she wants marriage. She’s spent her entire life being overlooked because of her birth, and now she wants the one thing that even money can’t buy—royal status. After giving it some thought, Yi An agrees to the arrangement but warns her that becoming part of the royal family will come with relentless public scrutiny. Hui Ju accepts the risk without a second thought.

Not long afterwards, the pair step out in front of a swarm of reporters hand in hand, officially confirming their relationship. Later, Yi An meets with Queen Mother Yi Rang, who demands an apology for embarrassing the royal family. Instead, Yi An calmly tells her that his relationship with Hui Ju is genuine and that he’s serious about marrying her. 

The following morning, Hui Ju proves exactly why she’s a PR genius. She deliberately wears the same outfit she had on the previous day before arriving at work and instructs Hye Jung to quietly spread the rumour that she spent the night at the palace. Back at the royal residence, Yi Rang suddenly claims to be ill, conveniently postponing any official wedding announcements since royal celebrations can’t take place while an elder member of the family is unwell.

Jeong Woo soon visits Hui Ju at her office, where she continues selling the image of a woman hopelessly in love with Yi An and eager to become his wife. Before he leaves, she asks him for a favour. We later see Jeong Woo seeking advice from a priest as he struggles with the conflict between helping Hui Ju achieve her goals and dealing with the feelings he’s secretly held for her all these years. At the same time, Hui Ju’s phone conversation with Yi An is abruptly interrupted when four teenage girls ambush her in her home parking lot and pelt her with eggs. She handles the humiliating situation surprisingly well before heading upstairs, where her father is waiting. Rather than showing concern, he accuses her of staging the romance for attention and cruelly blames her not only for his wife’s death but also for being greedy despite being his illegitimate daughter. It’s a brutal confrontation, and Yi An immediately notices something is wrong when he calls her later that evening. The next thing we know, he’s standing outside her door carrying Subway sandwiches.

As they eat together, Hui Ju opens up about being attacked and the painful argument with her father. Yi An doesn’t waste any time deciding what to do. That very night, he moves her into his private residence. Once they’re settled in, he finally explains why he agreed to the marriage. Yes, he jokes that her beauty and wealth played a part, but he also admits something far more important. He believes Hui Ju is the only person who would truly understand if he ever chose to pursue the throne himself.

Time passes and Hui Ju sneaks over to meet Yi An from opposite sides of the palace wall. She brings him tea and vitamins before joking that she’s already proving what a great wife she’ll make. Just as they’re talking, Yi An suddenly reaches over and kisses her. For a brief second, it seems like their fake relationship has taken a very real turn, but the moment is immediately ruined when we learn he only did it because paparazzi were hiding nearby. Sure enough, the photos go viral the next morning and quickly begin trending. The royal cabinet has no choice but to publicly acknowledge their relationship. While some people celebrate the couple, others immediately point to Hui Ju’s illegitimate birth and commoner status as proof that the relationship could never lead to marriage.

Determined to shift public opinion, Hui Ju drags Yi An to a baseball game for another carefully planned PR appearance. Jeong Woo attends as the ceremonial first pitcher and ends up spending time with the pair afterwards, much to Yi An’s obvious annoyance. We also learn that being royalty comes with a surprising number of food restrictions. Yi An can’t eat street food for security reasons and isn’t even allowed to have raw fish, making their celebratory sushi lunch a little awkward. It’s a small detail, but it does a nice job showing just how controlled every aspect of his life really is.

The following day, Hui Ju begins royal etiquette lessons under the guidance of a court lady as part of her preparation for becoming a member of the royal family. During her phone call to Yi An, she casually mentions that her red sports car is in the repair shop after someone crashed into it. Elsewhere, Tae Joo and his wife realise Hui Ju marrying into the royal family could actually work in their favour. Since members of the royal family aren’t allowed to participate in business, Castle Beauty would eventually be left without Hui Ju at the helm, opening the door for Tae Joo to take over the company.

A few days later, Jeong Woo brings Yi Yun to Yi An’s residence and finds Hui Ju completely overwhelmed by her endless royal lessons. More than happy to escape studying, she greets the young king and convinces everyone to play games instead. After winning, Yi Yun excitedly claims his prize—a ride in Hui Ju’s famous red sports car. Everyone reluctantly agrees, provided Jeong Woo and several royal security vehicles follow closely behind. At first, everything goes smoothly until Hui Ju suddenly discovers the brakes have failed. The car begins accelerating uncontrollably as she desperately swerves around traffic while Yi Yun panics beside her. Just when disaster seems unavoidable, another vehicle pulls directly into their path and absorbs the full impact. The driver climbs out of the wreckage, and of course, it’s Yi An.

News of the accident quickly reaches the palace, sending Queen Mother Yi Rang rushing to the hospital. Thankfully, Yi Yun escapes with only a few bruises, but Yi An is taken straight into surgery with a serious shoulder injury while Hui Ju remains unconscious. Before long, the media identifies Hui Ju as the driver, forcing Jeong Woo to step in and manage the growing scandal. Yi Rang attempts to pin responsibility on Hui Ju, but Jeong Woo reminds her that the Crown Prince insisted on riding in the car. Launching a public investigation could easily damage the royal family’s image, leaving Yi Rang with little choice but to back down. To make matters worse, Jeong Woo orders additional security around Hui Ju, making it clear that this incident may not have been an accident at all.

Fortunately, Yi An’s surgery is successful and doctors expect him to make a full recovery. Yi Yun later visits Hui Ju, who reassures the guilt-ridden boy that none of what happened was his fault. As soon as she learns Yi An is awake, she rushes to see him, and the two spend their time teasing and flirting with one another. By this point, Yi An’s feelings are becoming increasingly obvious, even if he hasn’t admitted them out loud yet.

Back in her hospital room, Hye Jung vents about how every disaster in Hui Ju’s life lately seems to have started the moment Yi An entered it. She questions why Hui Ju is still going through with a marriage that’s supposed to end in divorce after just three years anyway. Unfortunately for Hui Ju, Jeong Woo overhears the entire conversation, forcing her to finally admit that the marriage has always been a business arrangement. Seeing an opportunity, Jeong Woo immediately asks Hui Ju to marry him instead, arguing that he also has status and can give her everything she’s looking for. Before we get to hear her answer, the story cuts away to Hui Ju discovering that Yi An has already been discharged from the hospital without saying goodbye. After repeatedly ignoring her phone calls, his sudden distance leaves her completely confused. Hye Jung then casually mentions that Yi An had been standing outside Hui Ju’s room while Jeong Woo was inside. Realising he may have overheard the proposal, Hui Ju immediately rushes to Yi An’s house.

Upon arriving, Hui Ju is informed by Yi An’s staff that she’s no longer welcome at his house. After collecting her belongings, she quietly heads home. That night, we learn that Hui Ju turned down Jeong Woo’s proposal because his status is only temporary, while royal status lasts for life. Unfortunately, Yi An overhears this and is left believing she still only wants him for his title. Hurt by what he heard, he continues to ignore her.

Yi An officially calls off the engagement but lets Hui Ju know that someone tampered with her car and promises to find whoever was responsible. Hui Ju isn’t about to sit back and wait, so she has Hye Jung investigate the mechanic who worked on it. Meanwhile, we discover Yi An didn’t end the engagement because he stopped caring. Since his own mother died in a suspicious car accident, he’s terrified that being close to him will eventually get Hui Ju killed too.

Even so, he refuses to leave her with nothing. Yi An strikes a deal with Yi Rang and manages to get Hui Ju invited to the highly exclusive Inner Court Banquet. Ironically, despite wanting an invitation for so long, Hui Ju rejects it. In a nice bit of role reversal, she keeps turning him down the same way he repeatedly rejected her requests for a royal audience.

The two eventually meet face to face, where Hui Ju calls Yi An a coward and tells him he should stop bending to the will of the people trying to control him. She reminds him that she asked for his status, not his protection. Around the same time, Castle Beauty’s staff discover that the mechanic who sabotaged Hui Ju’s car used a Castle Group credit card—one managed by Tae Joo. He agrees to help investigate, but before he can get very far, Hui Ju finally accepts Yi An’s invitation to the banquet.

As a commoner, Hui Ju is expected to walk at the very back of the procession behind all the noblewomen. The night before, she and Yi An rehearse the proper etiquette, with Hui Ju practising how to walk behind him. On the drive home, however, Yi An asks her to teach him how to lead instead. Hui Ju simply tells him to stay by her side and she’ll show him.

The day of the banquet arrives and Hui Ju is fashionably late. Elsewhere, Tae Joo finally uncovers the identity of the man who tampered with Hui Ju’s car, only to discover he conveniently died the day before. Hui Ju then makes her entrance wearing a stunning white suit, despite being explicitly forbidden from wearing white.

As Yi Rang leads the procession through the gardens with all the noblewomen following behind, Hui Ju quietly walks at the very back as expected. Then, without warning, Yi An shoes up, walks straight over to Hui Ju, and asks her to show him how to lead. She takes his hand, and together they walk past every noblewoman and straight past Yi Rang herself.

Some time later, everyone gathers for the banquet’s after-party. Yi Rang is in unusually high spirits, convinced Yi An still intends to honour their agreement and end things with Hui Ju. After all, she’d only invited Hui Ju because Yi An had supposedly broken off the engagement. Instead, Yi An and Hui Ju make a grand entrance, share a dance in front of the guests, and completely shatter her expectations.

When the dance ends, Yi An gets down on one knee and proposes using his late mother’s ring. Hui Ju happily accepts, leaving both Yi Rang and Jeong Woo completely stunned. To make matters even worse for Yi Rang, Yi An asks the young king to bless their engagement. Ignoring his mother’s desperate attempts to stop him, Yi Yun gives the royal blessing, sending the media into an absolute frenzy. Heartbroken as he is, Jeong Woo still chooses duty over his feelings and refuses to overrule the king’s decision.

Yi Rang and Yi An share a dance, but it quickly turns into a confrontation. She coldly promises to oppose the marriage no matter what it takes. This time, however, Yi An is ready for her. He brings up the night she burned his brother’s royal decree, immediately throwing Yi Rang off balance.

For everyone else, though, the evening is a complete success. The media goes into a frenzy, the public can’t get enough of the engagement, and Hui Ju happily soaks up every bit of attention. Even Tae Joo is thrilled—but only because Hui Ju’s marriage means she’ll eventually have to step away from the company. Despite his excitement, he can’t shake his concern over the mechanic’s suspicious death.

Back at the palace, Yi Rang’s father storms into her chambers to scold her for letting the engagement happen. She reveals that Yi An knows about the burnt royal decree, leaving them backed into a corner with little choice but to accept the marriage. Instead, they convince themselves that Hui Ju will eventually become Yi An’s downfall and that time is on their side. We also learn that the late king’s original decree named Yi An as his successor to the throne. Elsewhere, Hui Ju officially moves back into Yi An’s residence.

Not long after, Hui Ju and Jeong Woo arrive at the palace together, immediately irritating Yi An. He quietly warns Jeong Woo to be more mindful of how he behaves around Hui Ju. Jeong Woo, however, casually admits that he already knows their marriage is nothing more than an arrangement. Yi An is clearly bothered by this, but Hui Ju is quick to remind him that he was the one who called off the engagement just yesterday, so he has no right to act jealous now. When she brings up drafting a marriage contract, Yi An simply challenges her to go ahead and write one.

That evening, the couple is invited to dinner with Yi Rang. Unsurprisingly, the meal quickly turns sour as Yi Rang tears into Yi An without holding back. She reminds him that his father never would’ve approved of his marriage to Hui Ju before accusing him of coveting the throne and even murdering his own brother to obtain it. Hui Ju eventually reaches her limit, grabs Yi An, and drags him out before things escalate any further.

Outside, Hui Ju promises that once they’re officially married, she won’t continue sitting back and taking Yi Rang’s insults. To wash away the miserable evening, she takes Yi An out on her yacht. One quiet moment leads to another, and before long, the two end up making out on the deck.

The next morning is wonderfully awkward as neither of them can stop thinking about what happened. Hui Ju rushes out of the house and ends up catching a ride with Jeong Woo. During the drive, she absentmindedly mentions Yi An driving her around and can’t help smiling to herself. Jeong Woo notices the change immediately and gently warns her not to grow too attached because it’ll only make the eventual divorce more painful. Back at Castle Beauty, Hui Ju reluctantly agrees to transfer her shares to Tae Joo, secretly hoping he’ll prove he’s incapable of running the company without her.

Meanwhile, the young king officially chooses July as the date for their wedding. Later that day, Hui Ju and Yi An attend their wedding fitting, where Choi Hyun reminds them that Yi An is expected to visit Hui Ju’s family home for dinner, following royal tradition.

Before that dinner takes place, Yi Rang corners Yi An one last time to plant more seeds of doubt. She points out that he seems conflicted and reminds him that he and Hui Ju come from completely different worlds. Yi An doesn’t take the bait. Instead, he calmly asks whether she herself ever found happiness in her marriage to his late brother.

A flashback reveals the answer. His brother once again abandoned Yi Rang, leaving her to attend an important royal event alone. Looking back on it, she bitterly concludes that royal marriages have never been happy and never will be.

That night, Yi An hides the marriage contract away inside a secret cabinet before pulling out the burned royal decree stating that the late king wanted him to inherit the throne. Elsewhere, Sung Won reflects on the night of the fire, and we’re finally given a much clearer picture of what happened. He found Yi Rang curled up on the floor after she’d learned the king planned to abdicate in Yi An’s favour. When he asked what she’d done, she calmly replied that she burned it all to the ground. Umm… what??

The evening of the family dinner finally arrives, and unsurprisingly, it doesn’t go particularly well. Hui Ju’s father suddenly starts acting like the caring, protective parent, asking Yi An to look after his daughter once she enters the royal family. Hui Ju isn’t having any of it. She immediately calls out his hypocrisy, reminding everyone how little he’s ever cared about her before storming out. Yi An follows after her, comforts her, and finally admits that he likes her.

At last, the wedding day arrives, and everyone is understandably excited. Before the ceremony begins, Yi Rang quietly approaches Jeong Woo and asks how he’s holding up. He insists that he’s fine, but Yi Rang simply smiles and tells him she’ll wait until the day he can no longer suppress his feelings.

Thankfully, the wedding itself goes off without too many issues, aside from Hui Ju tripping near the beginning. The ceremony continues, the royal rituals are completed, and the newlyweds receive everyone’s blessings before returning to the palace to be officially welcomed. Everything seems to be going perfectly… until Hui Ju suddenly becomes dizzy, her vision blurs, and she collapses in front of the entire nation watching the live broadcast.

Yi An immediately takes charge and rushes Hui Ju to Castle Hospital. The doctors soon discover she has digoxin toxicity and reveal that she only survived because she doesn’t regularly take the medication. Jeong Woo completely loses his composure and lashes out at Yi An, while Yi An fires back by demanding a full investigation into everyone present at the palace. When Jeong Woo informs Yi Rang, she has no choice but to approve it after Yi An pulls rank as regent.

Jeong Woo wastes no time launching the investigation, personally interviewing everyone who had access to the wedding banquet. One of Yi An’s maids is brought in and is visibly shaken during questioning, immediately making her stand out. Meanwhile, Hui Ju finally wakes up in hospital. The moment Yi An hears the news, he completely forgets royal etiquette, breaks the palace’s no-running rule, and sprints through the hospital to see her. The second he reaches her room, he wraps her in a hug and breaks down in tears.

Yi An is later questioned himself and reveals that he believes he—not Hui Ju—was the intended victim. He occasionally takes digoxin as medication, meaning that had he drunk from that cup instead, the poisoning almost certainly would’ve killed him. Hui Ju pieces together the rest, realising that when she stumbled during the ceremony, she accidentally knocked the drinks over, causing their cups to be switched. With that revelation, Jeong Woo promises to personally oversee the investigation and vows to uncover whoever was truly behind the attempted murder.

Hui Ju is eventually discharged from the hospital, but not before putting on an extra convincing performance for the cameras. She pretends to be far sicker than she actually is, earning exactly the public sympathy she was hoping for. Once the media leaves satisfied, she heads to the palace, where she’ll officially begin living as part of the royal family. Not long after, Jeong Woo confirms Hui Ju’s suspicion that the poisoned goblet was indeed how she was targeted. As he’s piecing everything together, the nervous maid from earlier quietly steps into his office.

The following morning, there’s a bit of a staff shuffle. Choi Hyun becomes Hui Ju’s official aide, while Hye Jung takes over as Yi An’s. The royal staff immediately begin preparing the newlyweds for their first official public appearance, which takes place at their former high school. Jeong Woo is invited to give the keynote speech while Yi An is there to present scholarships to the students.

Everything starts off smoothly enough. Hui Ju delivers her speech first, but halfway through, the audience suddenly becomes distracted. Phones start coming out, whispers spread across the room, and the atmosphere shifts almost instantly. The media has discovered the existence of their marriage contract. Within moments, reporters storm the venue, everyone is talking over one another, and the entire event falls apart. Hui Ju freezes on stage until Yi An quietly reaches for her hand and leads her away.

With reporters swarming the building, Hye Jung and Choi Hyun brilliantly pose as the royal couple to distract the media while Yi An and Hui Ju slip out through another exit and make their way to Jeong Woo’s office. Public opinion immediately spirals out of control as rumours and criticism flood every news outlet. Hui Ju worries that her lack of honour will destroy Yi An’s reputation, while Yi An is more concerned that his royal status will end up hurting her instead. Honestly… they’re kind of disgustingly cute.

Jeong Woo advises them to return to the palace, warning that public protests are expected to begin the following morning. Yi Rang wastes no time taking advantage of the situation, summoning members of the royal household for an emergency meeting. 

The next day, the protests are in full swing. With pressure mounting from every direction, Jeong Woo tells Yi An to shoulder the blame alone. He argues that sacrificing himself is the only way to protect both the monarchy and the country before asking Yi An to step down as regent altogether.

Before we hear Yi An’s response, the story jumps back five days to the moment the frightened maid entered Jeong Woo’s office. She confesses that she was the one who placed the medication into the goblet but insists she never knew it was intended to kill anyone. Desperate to pay for her brother’s surgery, she’d accepted money from Sung Won and had been working for him ever since.

Jeong Woo immediately confronts Yi Rang with the truth. To his surprise, she appears genuinely shocked by what her father has done and begs him to give her until that evening to deal with it herself. When she confronts Sung Won, he doesn’t deny a single accusation. Instead, he reminds her that she was the one who started the fire that killed the king. Yi Rang insists she never meant for anyone to die, but Sung Won coldly points out that nobody would ever believe that now. As far as he’s concerned, Yi An still has to die.

Desperate to save her son, Yi Rang strikes a dangerous deal with Jeong Woo. She promises to protect Hui Ju in exchange for helping bring Yi An down. Her plan is to leak the marriage contract and turn Yi An into the centre of the scandal, effectively sacrificing him to save the monarchy. Knowing exactly how Jeong Woo feels about Hui Ju, she manipulates those emotions until he reluctantly agrees to work alongside her and Sung Won.

Back in the present, Yi An calmly refuses Jeong Woo’s request to step down, insisting he has no intention of abandoning either the crown or his responsibilities. Moments later, Hye Jung informs him that Sung Won is meeting privately with the young king in an attempt to convince him to strip Yi An of his regency. Yi An rushes there immediately and finds Sung Won openly threatening his nephew. For the first time in a while, Yi An completely loses his composure, grabbing Sung Won by the throat and nearly choking him before finally letting go with one very clear warning: never threaten the little king again.

We’re then given another flashback to the night the king died. It turns out Yi An had gone to play with his young nephew in the room next to the king’s chambers and accidentally overheard the entire conversation about the abdication decree before the fire broke out.

Back in the present, a day passes and Hui Ju desperately asks Jeong Woo to help save Yi An. During the conversation, she finally admits that her feelings for the prince have become real. Running out of options, she then goes to her father’s house, kneels before him, and begs for his help.

Meanwhile, Jeong Woo formally requests that Yi An step down from his royal duties. He keeps the meeting quiet from Hui Ju until she walks in. Fighting back tears, she hugs Yi An before asking him for a divorce. Knowing exactly where it’ll hurt the most, she tells him he has nothing left to offer her now.

Completely heartbroken, Yi An retreats to the late king’s chambers to mourn alone. The following morning, Hui Ju attends the council meeting to formally request the divorce. That’s when Castle Group suddenly shifts the entire narrative. Even Tae Joo proves useful for once by claiming he was the one who drafted the marriage contract, pointing out that it was never officially notarised, and arguing that both parties would ultimately lose in the event of a divorce. Just to top it all off, he threatens legal action against the media for spreading false information.

With Hui Ju’s part of the plan complete, it’s Yi An’s turn.

Without warning, members of the Royal Secretariat enter the council chamber and announce that Yi An must prepare to receive the young king’s royal decree. Turns out Yi An had a plan of his own all along. Rather than surrendering his position, he’d convinced Yi Yun to voluntarily return the throne to him. Yi Yun immediately signs the decree, leaving everyone stunned. Sung Won questions its legitimacy, only for Yi An to completely shut him down by asking where he found the audacity to question a royal decree. Honestly… kind of iconic. Following royal tradition, Yi An is expected to refuse the throne three separate times before officially accepting it.

After the meeting, Hui Ju chases after Yi An demanding answers. Still hurt by her decision to ask for a divorce, he accuses her of never trusting him enough to protect her before walking away. Elsewhere, Yi Rang completely unravels after hearing the news. She tries to speak with Yi Yun, but he’s locked himself inside his room. Jeong Woo instead pulls her aside and reminds her that the poisoning investigation is still hanging over everyone’s heads. He tells her she has until Yi An’s third and final refusal to sort out either the prince or the king before everything falls apart.

Yi An continues giving Hui Ju the cold shoulder, leaving her miserable and full of regret. Eventually, she finds him at his private residence and finally confesses that she truly loves him. One thing leads to another, and the two spend the night together.

The following morning, they return to the palace together. Yi Rang privately begs Yi An to reject the throne, reminding him that she sacrificed everything to protect it. Yi An gently refuses. He explains that he’s done living in silence and promises that because Yi Yun willingly gave up the throne, he has no intention of making her answer for everything she’s done.

Accepting defeat, Yi Rang informs Sung Won of Yi An’s decision. Sung Won, however, refuses to lose. Later that night, Jeong Woo secretly pays him a visit.

The final day of the royal decree arrives, and the palace is thrown into chaos. Yi An prepares to formally accept the throne while Hui Ju proudly stands by his side. At the same time, Yi Yun reveals that he heard his father’s final wish before he died. Tearfully apologising to Yi Rang for disappointing her, he throws his arms around her in a hug.

As Hui Ju heads off to meet Tae Joo after receiving a phone call about the company’s next steps, Yi An receives a text from Jeong Woo asking him to stop by the council hall before heading to the throne room. Moments later, a massive explosion echoes across the palace grounds.

Hui Ju rushes toward the smoke and discovers that the council hall has erupted into flames. Hye Jung arrives and reveals that Yi An was inside the building when the explosion happened. Without hesitating for even a second, Hui Ju charges straight into the burning hall herself. She eventually finds Yi An unconscious inside, and with Choi Hyun’s help, manages to drag him to safety.

Yi An survives but falls into a mild coma, while Hui Ju refuses to leave his bedside.

When Jeong Woo barges into the room, he barely acknowledges Yi An and instead rushes straight to Hui Ju. That’s when the pieces finally begin falling into place. Hye Jung points out that Yi An only went to the council hall because Jeong Woo asked him to meet there. To make matters even more suspicious, Jeong Woo seems strangely uninterested in investigating the explosion itself.

Refusing to sit back any longer, Hui Ju asks Yi Rang for permission to launch her own investigation. As she continues caring for the unconscious prince, rumours of Yi An’s death begin spreading throughout the country. Jeong Woo immediately tries to take advantage of the uncertainty by pressuring Yi Rang to become the next regent.

Unfortunately for him, Yi An wakes up just in time to silence the rumours himself. Returning to the palace, he shuts Jeong Woo down and announces that he’ll be resuming his royal duties.

Some time later, Yi Rang finally learns the truth: it was Sung Won who ordered the gas explosion. Exhausted by years of manipulation, lies, and threats, she finally decides she’s had enough. She meets privately with Yi An, confesses everything she’s done, and hands over the evidence needed to bring her father down. The only thing she asks for in return is that Yi Yun be kept safe.

A day later, Yi Yun sends out the third and final abdication request while Yi An prepares to confront Jeong Woo. Before this, Yi Rang had already warned Yi An not to trust him. During their meeting, Jeong Woo finally gives up Sung Won and reveals everything he knows. In return, Yi An makes a shocking confession of his own: once he becomes king, he intends to abolish the monarchy entirely. With no daughter or grandson left to protect him, Sung Won is eventually arrested and finally finds himself trapped by the very system he spent years manipulating.

A few days later, Yi An officially ascends to the throne. As the new King of Korea, his very first order is to begin the process of ending the monarchy. Naturally, this sends everyone into a panic. Hui Ju is supportive but realistic enough to know that neither the royal family nor the cabinet will quietly accept losing centuries of power. The only thing truly on Yi An’s side is public opinion.

Meanwhile, Jeong Woo launches a full-scale counterattack. He attempts to sabotage the public survey by cutting financial support to the palace and creating as much resistance as possible. Unfortunately for him, Hui Ju is rich enough to fund several monarchies if she really wanted to. When that doesn’t work, Jeong Woo orders an investigation into Castle Group’s finances. Tae Joo attends the summons and cleverly turns the situation around by hinting to the media that the cabinet is abusing its authority to pressure the king. Suddenly, Jeong Woo’s campaign isn’t looking quite as noble as he hoped.

Elsewhere, Yi Rang visits her father in prison and officially cuts ties with him. After learning that Yi Yun knew the truth all along, she’s determined to become a better mother and person moving forward. As she leaves the prison, Jeong Woo approaches and offers her a ride. During the drive, he immediately returns to making threats. He demands that she publicly oppose Yi An’s plan to abolish the monarchy and warns that if she refuses, he’ll expose her role in destroying the royal decree. Not only that, but he casually admits that he was behind the attempt on Yi An’s life and has no intention of stopping.

Not willing to let that slide, Hui Ju eventually turns to Yi Rang for help. To her surprise, Yi Rang reveals that she secretly recorded the entire conversation. The following day, during a royal family meeting, Hui Ju storms in and plays the recording for everyone to hear. Cornered with no way out, Jeong Woo finally meets with Yi An privately and admits the truth. He claims that everything he did was because Yi An refused to let Hui Ju go. In his mind, Yi An was responsible for everything that went wrong. Yi An quickly shuts that down by reminding him that Hui Ju was never his to begin with. Shortly afterward, Jeong Woo is arrested.

With his final obstacle removed, Yi An proceeds with the public survey. The results are clear: the people vote to end the monarchy. True to his word, Yi An honors their decision. His first decree as king also becomes his last, officially abolishing the Korean monarchy and ending centuries of royal rule.

Three years later, everyone has settled into their new lives. Hui Ju returns to Castle Beauty and eventually takes over Castle Card as well after Tae Joo steps back to focus on his growing family. Even her father seems to have learned a few lessons and makes a genuine effort to support her moving forward.

The drama closes on a surprisingly happy note. Yi An spends time figuring out who he is without royal duties hanging over his head and finally admits that he’s liked Hui Ju ever since their high school days. Hui Ju thrives back in the business world, while Yi Rang focuses on raising Yi Yun and encouraging him to become a musician rather than a monarch.

In the final moments, Yi An and Hui Ju attend a baseball game together. This time there are no titles, no royal expectations, and no cameras waiting for the perfect public image. So when the kiss cam lands on them, they do what they’ve spent the entire drama trying to earn: they simply kiss.

The End.