Episode 16

Park Ki-woong

Lee Ji-hoon

Park Ji-hyun

Choi Deok-moon

Kim Min-sang

Gong Jung-hwan

Kim Yeo-jin

Sung Ji-ru

## Episode Synopsis

Queen Dowager Im responds to Yi Rim's earnest plea, Hae-ryung's new assignment proves to be taxing. Sa-hui realises her fate may not be in her control.

## Plot Summary

Despite his pleas and confession of love for another, Prince Dowon is rejected by the Queen Dowager, who sternly warns him that his duty as a prince comes before love.

He speaks to Goo Hae-ryung outside, asking why she seems so unaffected.

> **Goo Hae-ryung:** Then what on earth were you thinking earlier? What if the Queen Dowager accepted your request? Then what? Would you have told her that I was that lady, and pester her to let you marry me? Did you think you could just marry me like that regardless of how I feel? I have made it clear to you that I do not wish to live here married to a prince. I do not want that.
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Prince Dowon begs her to be honest and tell him that she is against his marriage, but she insists he should follow the King’s orders. He returns alone to *Nokseodang*, holding back tears.

The historians gossip about Clerk Yi/Prince Dowon and Goo Hae-ryung when the latter arrives. Officer Min tasks her to keep record of the Queen Dowager throughout the marriage preparations, and although apprentices Oh and Heo volunteer to take her place, she accepts.

The next morning, Prince Dowon’s attendees are shocked to see him seemingly recovered, but he is disappointed to see that his historian is Heo Ah-ran, not Hae-ryung.

The announcement for Prince Dowon’s marriage is released – Crown Prince Jin and the councillors separately discuss Lord So Baek-son, a military general, who has put forth his daughter as a possible match. Min Ik-pyeong asks to see him personally, and Lord So Baek-son is revealed to be a shrewd man of integrity as he holds his own against the Second State Councillor, even though Ik-pyeong threatens his position.

> **So Baek-son:** Unlike someone, I do not intend on selling off my daughter for power or authority, so there is no need to worry.
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The Inner Palace welcomes the bridal candidates for the evaluations, with the Queen Dowager watching So Baek-son’s daughter, Yeong-hwa, with special interest. Throughout the evaluations, Hae-rying retires home at the end of the day with a drink.

Song Sa-hui is suddenly announced as a replacement for a rejected candidate, and she angrily meets Min Ik-pyeong, saying that this was not part of the deal. He reminds her that she has no choice but to obey, as she had asked for his help in the first place. She cries in frustration while Crown Prince Jin sombrely accepts this news.

However, Song Sa-hui turns up to work the next day. She attends to Crown Prince Jin, who angrily surmises that Min Ik-pyeong is suddenly sending Lord So Baek-son to the country’s border so his daughter will be withdrawn from marriage consideration.

Crown Prince Jin accuses Song Sa-hui of serving Min Ik-pyeong just so she can marry Prince Dowon and gain power, but she tells him that he is wrong.

> **Song Sa-hui:** That is not what I wanted. I wanted the freedom to choose. I wanted to live my life with my own choices without getting swayed or controlled by anyone else. I thought I could live that life if I became a historian. That’s why I went to see him. It did not mean I wanted to leave my entire life in his hands. Even so, do you still think I got what I wanted? My life is hardly mine. Do you know how devastated I am after realising that reality?
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The prince asks her to stay, promising to hear her out.

Prince Dowon sombrely gets his measurements taken for his wedding garment and listens as he is told how to behave on his wedding night.

Early next morning, Song Sa-hui is found leaving the Crown Prince’s quarters by two court ladies, shocking the King and the Office of Royal Decrees. Upon hearing the rumours, she does not deny them. Song Sa-hui is summoned by the Crown Princess.

Goo Hae-ryung rushes to Song Sa-hui, wanted to accompany her as a historian. The Crown Princess interrogates Sa-hui, who is unflinching despite the Princess’s anger. Sa-hui admits that she’d only wanted her feelings for the Prince to be acknowledged.

> **Crown Princess Min:** Are you even aware that your feelings could snatch everything away from you and ruin your life?
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The Queen Dowager is shocked at the turn of events, but satisfied that the rumours of Song Sa-hui mean that Min Ik-pyeong can no longer use her against Prince Dowon. She meets Lord So Baek-son, thanking him for going along with her plans, and also shows him Prince Dowon. Upon seeing the young prince, So Baek-son seems to proudly recognise a former young king.

Mo-wha meets Goo Jae-gyeong again, who explains that Goo Hae-ryung believes her father was killed because he was falsely accused of treason. Mo-wha states that Goo Hae-ryung will not be able to forgive Jae-gyeong for causing her father’s death.

Heo Sam-bo tries to lift Prince Dowon’s spirits by taking him to see potential marriage homes outside of the palace. At a home called *Yeonrijae* (two branches that entwine and ultimately grow as one), Dowon emotionally imagines a married life with Goo Hae-ryung. He is bidden to approach Hae-ryung at her home, embracing her when she tells him to leave.

> **Prince Dowon:** I’ll just abandon everything. You do not need to live as a prince’s wife if you don’t want to. I can just…put down my title as a prince. I can give up everything. I’m fine abandoning everything. Let’s just go to a place where no one knows us and live happily there. You can do what you want and go where you want. And I’ll just stay by your side. That’s all I want.
> **Goo Hae-ryung:** Your Highness, the world we live in is not a novel. Running away like that might sound like a beautiful ending when you read it in a novel, but the reality is different. Unlike a book that has an ending, we will have to live the rest of our lives feeling burdened and chased. […] We will get tired as time goes by. We will eventually get exhausted and end up hating each other one day. We will regret the choice we made and live in resentment.
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Prince Dowon promises that he won’t resent her, but she says that she cannot guarantee not feeling resentment herself.

> **Goo Hae-ryung:** I hope you meet someone who has a big heart that can walk beside you, wish the same wishes, and love you wholeheartedly. You can meet someone like that.
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> **Prince Dowon:** You know you’re everything to me.
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> **Hae-ryung:** I’m sorry. don’t feel the same way.
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The two break down in tears once alone.

## Starring

### Main cast:

* Shin Se-kyung as Goo Hae-ryung
* Cha Eun-woo as Prince Dowon
* Park Ki-woong as Crown Prince Yi Jin
* Lee Ji-hoon as Min Woo-won
* Gong Jung-hwan as Goo Jae-gyeong
* Kim Min-sang as King Hamyeong Yi Tae
* Choi Deok-moon as Min Ik-pyeong

### Recurring:

* Kim Yeo-jin as Queen Dowager Yim
* Heo Jeong-do as Officer Yang Si-haeng
* Kang Hoon as Officer Hyeon Kyeong-mook
* Nam Tae-woo as Officer Son Gil-seung
* Yoon Jung-sub as Officer Hwang Jang-goon
* Ji Gun-woo as Officer Seong Seo-kwon
* Oh Hee-joon as Officer Ahn Hong-ik
* Lee Jung-ha as Officer Kim Chi-gook
* Park Ji-hyun as Apprentice Song Sa-hee
* Lee Ye-rim as Apprentice Oh Eun-im
* Jang Yoo-bin as Apprentica Heo Ah-ran
* Jeon Ik-ryung as Mo-hwa
* Sung Ji-ru as Heo Sam-bo
* Yang Jo-a as Seol-geum
* Lee Kwan-hoon as Gak-soi
* Ryoo Tae-ho as Song Jae-cheon
* Kim Yong-woon as Gwi Jae

### Guest

* Kim Ye Rin as Crown Princess Min Woo-hui