You should greet Deok Im.
Deok Im went to Grandfather in my place
and asked for your forgiveness.
I'm a bit busy right now, so let's do it later.
Such insolence!
How dare you gaze upon His Highness's royal countenance.
My apologies, sir.
Your Highness!
What are you doing here?
I was passing by
when I saw Your Highness drop your fan.
I was worried that Your Highness had lost your fan.
It's fortunate that the gyeomsaseo happened to be passing by.
Thank you, gyeomsaseo.
Gyeomsaseo?
Court lady…
Your Highness, we should be leaving for the royal academy.
It is time to prepare for your studies.
I understand.
Which way was it?
Brother, aren't you going to say bye to us?
Mother asked us to give you a message.
See you later, Deok Im.
Mother says that she is concerned for you.
She wants you to eat properly and get enough sleep.
What the hell.
He deceived me.
He was playing with me!
See you later. Bye.
I can't believe they left.
Why can't they help us?
Sewing is so hard!
Is anything not hard for you?
Hey, I'm sitting here in order to help you!
So help me properly.
Don't annoy me. I'm already annoyed enough as it is.
It's because we're apprentices.
The senior court ladies are such jerks.
They force us
to do all of their difficult chores.
There isn't even enough thread.
This sucks!
Why are you so late? You said you'd come before sinsi.
Let's go stone skipping.
What?
I'll help you finish this even if I have to stay up for 3 nights straight.
Let's go stone skipping.
Come on.
Wait for me!
Wow, Deok Im, you're really good at skipping stones!
Why can't I do it?
Do you have a secret?
Of course I do.
Think of this pond as the face of the person you hate most.
You're hitting his face every time the stone skips.
Think about it.
Would you hit him just once?
You'd want to slap him at least 10 times.
Wham!
I've waited for 3 days
and she hasn't visited even once.
Who are you waiting for, Your Highness?
It's nothing.
Now, tell me.
I have learned of the source of the anonymous letter.
The source of the anonymous letter is…
Hold your tongue.
You are empty-handed.
If you found evidence, you would have brought it.
I don't need circumstantial evidence.
There's nothing I can do with it.
My apologies, Your Highness.
Forget about the anonymous letter if you cannot find evidence.
We cannot dwell on the matter indefinitely.
Your Highness, we should not dismiss such an issue lightly.
We must find the scoundrels
who dared to plot against you.
Is the anonymous letter
more important than my life?
On the day we hunted the tiger,
someone launched an arrow at me.
As I hunted the tiger,
I was also being hunted by someone.
Have you any idea
how that feels?
One of the royal guards is the culprit.
Find him.
No matter what.
The Queen's Palace has issued the date of the ceremony.
You will no longer be apprentices.
You will be official court ladies and 9th level officials.
I pray that all of you will
be court ladies of the utmost integrity.
Yes, my lady!
Is something wrong, Deok Im?
Why is your face so gloomy on such a happy occasion?
I don't want to be an official court lady.
Why wouldn't you want that?
Official court ladies are treated so much better than apprentices.
I'd rather stay in the library as an apprentice.
What's there to like about a dusty library?
It's a thankless job no matter how hard you work.
Try serving at the Crown Prince's Palace.
People will treat you with much more respect.
I don't want to go there!
Why not?
Even if I'm there,
I'll still be a servant.
What?
You'll get a pretty dress, attend the ceremony and become an official.
Even so, we'll still be servants that serve masters.
We can't even object if our masters wrong us.
But if we make a mistake, we'll be thrown out of the palace.
We'll always live in fear
as servants.
You can't think too much if you're a servant.
But I keep having frivolous thoughts.
Stop talking nonsense.
It's just depressing. Stop it.
We can help each other when things go wrong.
Don't be scared of becoming an official court lady.
OK.
Thanks for everything, Na Bi.
Thanks for keeping me company.
I met a real jerk here,
but there were good times as well.
Am I…
the jerk you just mentioned?
Of course not, Your Highness.
Is there anything you would like me to do?
Who does that sack belong to?
It belongs to me, Your Highness.
I will no longer be working here.
Then where will you be working?
I will work as a court lady in the Crown Prince's Palace.
As master of the palace,
I will still have to see you.
Yes.
I wish to clear the air between us.
I deceived you even though it was not my intention to do so.
But you must bear no grudge
or create a fuss because of it.
Do you understand?
I have countless responsibilities.
Many of them are immediate and of the utmost importance.
But because of you for 3 days…
Anyways, annoy me no further.
It's tiring.
Yes, Your Highness.
Liar!
He's such a jerk!
You!
Do you not value your life?
I asked you a question.
Y… Your Highness.
No words can express my regret!
What are you thinking right now?
You can overcome any peril if you're quick to think on your feet.
Your Highness, I deserve to die!
However, please spare my life in your infinite mercy!
Why the change of heart?
Like I'd really have you executed.
Your Highness.
Sit.
Your Highness.
Come here and sit down.
Your Highness.
Don't prostrate yourself.
Sit here.
I only have a few minutes
so tell me what you really think
instead of talking ill of me behind my back.
Until the clock reads sinsi*, (3:30 pm in traditional Korean time)
you may think of me as a gyeomsaseo like before.
But I know that you are not.
So, how could I treat you like before?
You did when you threw the salt.
But I thought that you weren't there…
Please have mercy!
Sit.
I give you my word
that I will not get angry before sinsi*. (3:30 pm in traditional Korean time)
So tell me how you really feel.
You may think
of me as merely a lowly servant.
However, I will be serving you as my master all my life.
So, you mustn't treat me with such contempt and ridicule.
I ridiculed you?
You were out of your royal attire and pretended to be…
…a gyeomsaseo. First.
I wasn't wearing those clothes to deceive you.
I enjoy dressing in humble clothes when I can.
More importantly,
no matter how I am dressed,
I did not realize a stupid court lady would fail to recognize my face.
Second,
I never told you that I was a gyeomsaseo.
You jumped to that conclusion on your own.
But you could have corrected me.
Why should I correct the mistake of a lowly court lady?
In any case, let go of your grudge.
I don't want to worry about it.
So,
you want me to hold no grudges
because I am but a lowly servant.
Did you come here to tell me that?
All you had to do was offer me a sincere apology.
But you don't know how to apologize.
So you want me
to learn how to apologize to my inferiors?
Yes.
All the people of this kingdom are your inferiors
but also, someday, they will become your subjects.
Therefore, please learn how to apologize to your inferiors
and also to your subjects.
They say a true monarch must learn
to recognize his faults and bow his head in contrition.
The fact that you do not understand this
has been of great disappointment to me.
I now understand what you truly think of me.
I'll forget everything that happened.
Nothing ever happened between you and I.
Stay out of my sight from now on.
My lady!
Nonsense!
You can't just avoid working at the Crown Prince's Palace.
But I can work somewhere else.
I could work at the ceremonial hall or summer palace.
If you can't serve at the Crown Prince's Palace,
you can't call yourself a court lady.
So stop talking nonsense and get to sleep.
If I have to work at the Crown Prince's Palace,
how can I stay out of his sight?
For heaven's sake!
His Highness is strict about all things
so you must learn everything thoroughly.
Pay attention to the shade of the ink.
It mustn't be too dark or too light.
It should be exactly this shade.
Yes, my lady.
Now, try drawing a line.
It's all wrong.
How do you expect His Highness to write using such light ink?
How frustrating.
I'm sorry, my lady.
You've done a fine job.
Deok Im is great at grinding inkstones.
Her handwriting is impeccable, too.
Really?
You've very good.
Wol Hye.
You're in big trouble.
What did I do wrong?
You're going to be the Crown Prince's personal handmaid.
You're hair is a mess.
Dock her half a month's wages.
Yes, Your Highness.
What are you doing?
My apologies, Your Highness.
You're late. Why can't you be punctual?
Dock her one month's wages.
Yes, Your Highness.
My apologies, Your Highness.
Take those girls to the disciplinary court lady and give them 20 lashings.
Yes, Your Highness.
Do you think I'm your friend?
How dare you speak to me with such insolence!
What did those court ladies do wrong?
They behaved too familiarly with the Crown Prince.
His Highness despises court ladies with a passion
so they all go out of their way to stay out of his sight.
I can't serve him.
Can you help me get out of the assignment?
It's too late.
You shouldn't have done such a perfect job grinding the inkstone.
Everyone failed on purpose, you know.
Now, you'll be responsible for filling the Crown Prince's ink water.
Make sure that the water never runs out.
It's not hard to do.
Just stay close by the Crown Prince.
Good luck, newbie.
I want to go back to the library.
The location of your academy will be moved by the beginning of next month.
It's taking a bit of time to fix the building.
Tell them to hurry as much as possible.
Yes, Your Highness.
But why do you wish to move the academy?
Are you displeased with the current location?
I don't like the library next to it.
You!
Yes, Your Highness.
Don't ever touch my desk again.
Yes, Your Highness.
Your Highness.
We have brought your medicine.
You may enter.
Can I trouble you for a cup of water?
Of course.
We've found a possible culprit amongst the royal guards.
What are you doing here?
Just seeing how well you're faring.
How are you holding up?
I was scolded for touching the desk.
At least he didn't punish you.
If you'd touched his food, you'd get an instant lashing.
Don't even think about tasting it.
That's the job of the eunuch.
They didn't give me any instructions and just sent me here!
Will you please help me, Wol Hye?
I'll think about it.
Now hurry back.
I've already done that.
Take this to the window to dry.
What are you doing here?
Do you know how distracting you've been?
Did you recognize me?
Of course I did. You've been here in the same room.
I would have left had you commanded me to do so.
My apologies, Your Highness.
I should not have come here
after incurring His Highness's wrath.
I will ask for a new assignment
and stay out of your sight for good.
Return.
Raise your head.
My personal handmaid has the right
to look straight at me.
That way, you can serve me more quickly.
Make sure that this is always full.
Your Highness.
As this humble servant
will soon change her assignment…
Change your assignment?
By whose command?
Can a foot soldier command a general?
I issue the commands and you follow them.
You told me to stay out of your sight.
I only saw you today because it was your first day.
But if you are always next to me,
someday I will see you no more.
As you are only a court lady out of many
and of no consequence.
Just make yourself useful.
Now, bring me water.
Yes, Your Highness.
I don't mind the rain.
But I don't have an umbrella.
Gyeomsaseo.
Court lady.
I've been meaning to apologize to you.
I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you that I was the gyeomsaseo.
It's nothing to be sorry about.
I was a fool
to think that someone else was the gyeomsaseo.
I wanted to tell you the truth,
but I was worried that His Highness did not wish you to know.
So, you knew all along
that he was the Crown Prince.
I was a fool not to notice.
Who else could have roamed
the palace so freely while wearing a jade headband?
I wonder why His Highness deceived you.
He probably thought it was fun to ridicule me.
I realized for the first time that His Highness could be like that.
Even though
everyone experiences it at least once.
Thank you, sir.
I'll walk alone from here on.
But it's still a ways away to your quarters.
There will be lots of people there
and I wish to avoid any misunderstandings.
I understand.
Take care, sir.
Goodbye.
Court Lady Sung.
How did you know my family name?
I was hoping to wait
until you
told me your name.
I don't think it's a good idea to see you too often.
Why?
Because you're a court lady.
You can keep
this umbrella.
I can see why everyone is so enamored with the gyeomsaseo.
You're back, Deok Im.
Sam Wol, are you headed home?
Yes.
Take this.
It's all right.
Take it or you'll catch a cold.
Thank you.
Bok Yeon.
What are you doing here?
It's not Deok Im. She doesn't have an umbrella.
You're lucky
it's not your friend.
What's wrong?
Some young court lady
shared the gyeomsaseo's umbrella with him.
She even went and took it.
The gyeomsaseo has always been a kind man,
but he doesn't give his umbrella to just anyone.
Some tart must have coaxed him to give it up.
Why couldn't Ok Geum have seen her face clearly?
Just wait till we find her.
We'll make her pay!
But… why haven't we seen anyone with an umbrella?
Deok Im!
Ok Geum said she definitely saw it.
The young court ladies' coming-of-age ceremony draws near.
Every year around this time,
I feel glad…
but also sad.
Court ladies who've been through the ceremony,
we all become one family.
Growing our family is a lovely thing,
but it's sad seeing these pretty young girls,
become trapped here in the palace forever.
People revere us as though we're from another world.
They call us palace fairies.
Fairies like those in the legends who live in the sky,
in the moon palace.
They have no idea how sad a place it is.
We have to trust and support each other.
The only ones we can trust are ourselves.
All of you here must take this to heart.
Yes, my lady.
Not sure why I said such frivolous things.
Maybe it's because of the rain tonight.
Let's talk about work.
Of the girls who will become court ladies, I'd like recommendations.
We'll need new girls to put
with the King and Queen.
Of course, the Crown Prince's Palace, also.
Court Lady Seo.
My lady?
Yes, my lady.
You're Deok Im's teacher, aren't you?
I am, my lady.
I remember when I first set eyes on her.
She's always been an clever one.
She seems bright, meticulous.
Perhaps it would be good to place her with the Crown Prince.
I-I think… that would be improper, my lady.
Oh?
She is a reckless child,
unable to stifle her words, good or bad.
Put in another way,
she's clever and bold, then?
The timid sort wouldn't work.
She can't be trembling while attending her superiors.
I think she's just right,
but you disagree?
Still…
I cannot let her trouble you with her imprudence, my lady…
As she's still young, I will continue to teach her.
She comes of age soon, though,
and will have to leave your side.
Still…
I must… instruct her further…
All right, we'll wait and see.
There's no rush.
No, my lady.
But it'll come eventually.
As the Crown Prince is a young man,
he'll need a young woman.
Yes, my lady.
My lady!
I'll be going now.
You leave the palace today to visit your family, yes?
Yes, my lady.
Look how you've grown.
You're a woman now.
Of course I am, it's almost time for the ceremony.
See you later.
What's taking so long?
There they are!
Daddy!
I'm so glad to see you!
Deok Im, I'll see you later!
Who are you?
It's me, Deok Im.
Don't you recognize me?
Oh! Ms. Sung, the apprentice court lady?
I've come to thank you both.
Might I go inside?
What could we have done to earn your thanks?
You treated me as a daughter,
so I was able to become a court lady.
We were just doing the princess's bidding.
We didn't know anything about you…
The princess is asking for the court lady.
Go and see her, miss.
For all you did for me in my childhood
I am deeply thankful.
Our mother and father are both dead.
If you, Your Highness, do not show us mercy
we'll die as well.
I don't care if I die,
but please save my sister.
Our father served the Crown Prince with loyalty.
So I beg of you, Your Highness!
You've come.
Princess Hyebin.
You're already eighteen.
How time flies.
So now you'll become a court lady?
All because of you, Your Highness.
You saved my brother and I,
and someday I'll repay your kindness.
Do you truly think so?
You'll repay my favor?
How can I not? I was saved from death.
Then start now.
I need someone.
I need someone to tell me the doings of the Crown Prince.
You're asking me to spy on the Crown Prince?
I need… to know everything my son is doing.
Your Highness, even if you're his mother,
I cannot spy on the heir of the state.
It's against the law of the palace, and-
The law of the palace.
I once strictly adhered to it myself.
Everyone in the palace spies on those around them.
Truly, in the palace
it would be difficult to find a soul that isn't.
But I…
just whiled away my time, trapped there
reading moral treatises,
bound by the law of the palace.
What is shame?
What is honor?
If only I had
planted eyes and ears near my husband,
watched him
closely…
But what good is it to talk of the dead?
I have to take care…
of my living son.
Just tell me everything that happens to him.
I need to know of everything that concerns my son.
Your Highness.
You and your brother are a traitor's children.
I'm the only reason you're alive.
Someday you'd like to meet your brother again, right?
I've left the palace
and will be staying at a private residence.
This is the entrance token.
Should anything happen, leave the palace and report to me.
Court lady.
Oh, yes.
Please say it was well received.
Yes, Court Lady.
The young court lady that begged forgiveness for the Crown Prince,
is that her?
Yes, Your Highness.
And she currently serves as his personal handmaid?
Yes, Your Highness.
You bitch!
W-Who are you?
This is Princess Hwawan.
Your Highness…
Do you know your mistake?
I-I don't know what I've done, Your Highness…
You dare you trespass on the King's Path?
Pardon me?
I saw it all.
I saw your skirts touch the King's exclusive path!
But I wasn't anywhere near it.
Throwing out childish excuses for a major crime?
How dare a young court lady be so impudent?
Drag her away and give her 100 blows with a stick!
Yes, Your Highness.
Please forgive me, Your Highness.
I have done wrong!
Your Highness!
I have done wrong, Your Highness!
Please forgive me! Let go of her!
Crown Prince.
Aunt.
This court lady broke the rules
and I was attempting to punish her.
Did you see it first hand?
Of course.
That's odd.
I was in the same place, at the same time, and I didn't.
Ah, I see now.
So you're taking her side, then.
Because she serves in your palace?
How did you know that she serves in my palace?
Oh…
that's obvious.
If she didn't,
why would you intercede on her behalf?
Yes, as you say, Aunt,
she serves in my palace.
And so, her punishment is not for you to give,
but me as her lord and master.
Come.
Stop!
So you think that only you are entitled
to punish the attendants of your household?
No.
There is another person who rules
all the ladies of the court.
Your Highness, a court lady of the Crown Prince's Palace broke the law.
The Crown Prince, where she serves, is dead set on protecting her.
I humbly request that you punish her.
You do not approve of punishment?
No, Your Highness.
Even if she did touch the King's Path,
your proposed punishment is too severe.
One hundred blows could kill her.
Instead…
would stopping her pay for six months satisfy you?
Were you to show her mercy and tolerance, Princess,
I will support your decision.
What say you, Crown Prince?
As the court ladies fall under your purview, Your Highness,
I will follow your wishes.
Mercy and tolerance…
they sound grand, but don't force them on me.
Is it so wrong
to seek always to preserve the dignity of the King and follow palace rules?
I tell you
I saw her commit the infraction with my own eyes!
To protect the integrity of all court ladies,
she must get the hundred blows.
Crown Prince.
Yes, Your Highness.
You just said that
as I'm in charge of palace affairs,
you'd follow my wishes.
Princess Hwawan is your aunt.
We can't allow
your relationship to become strained over a court lady,
As the princess requests,
she will be so punished.
With such a display of decisiveness
you are truly a fine head of palace affairs.
I'll be going now, Your Highness.
You, bitch. Follow me.
Princess!
The court lady can be punished at any time.
It's been so long since I've seen you, I'll be quite sad
to see you go so quickly.
I've made honeyed rice cakes. Please try one.
Your Highness, I'm a bit busy-
It took me six hours of effort to make them.
You'd oblige me greatly by trying one.
I won't take no for an answer.
His Majesty the King arrives!
Whoa now, why are you all gathered here?
My Queen.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Making these for me with your own hands,
wasn't it difficult?
As it was for you, it seemed no effort at all.
Let's try them.
Please don't eat it, Father!
What? The Queen Consort
made them with care.
So why are you stopping me?
They're… poison!
What?
Princess! I prepared them myself and tried them…
Poison?
Do you doubt me, Princess?
What are you talking about, Princess?
I do not mean that there's poison inside of them.
I mean to say that the entirety of those rice cakes
is poison to you, Father.
You once suffered sudden stomach pains after eating them.
Did you forget those four days of torment?
I remember them well.
So worried was I that you were seriously ill,
I spent those days crying.
More than anyone
I think of your well-being, Father.
You're my earth and sky, Father.
Were I to lose you…
I'd lose everything.
No one else would lose a thing.
How could they ever understand how I feel?
Well now…
if I don't eat it, my wife will be unhappy.
And if I do, my daughter will worry…
What do you think, San?
What should your grandfather do with this rice cake?
As she spent six hours in preparing it…
the Queen will surely be unhappy
if you don't eat it, Your Majesty.
However, as your safety is paramount,
not eating it is surely…
for the best.
Yeah?
The Crown Prince speaks truly.
I apologize, Your Majesty.
I should have been more thoughtful.
I only thought of something pleasing to taste,
without considering the effect it would have
on your royal constitution.
Wait now. Her there!
That's her.
Sung Deok Im. Right?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Why are you here?
Your Majesty, as she broke the rules,
we were discussing her punishment.
Her skirts touched your exclusive path, Your Majesty.
Though it is not a serious matter,
as the Crown Prince and the Princess were so put out,
I was helping them consider her punishment.
Stop worrying over it.
Why take a personal interest
in a single court lady?
As she's an attendant of the Crown Prince,
he will decide her punishment.
Father!
What?
If he determines the punishment,
all will suspect him of favoritism.
That's almost no punishment at all.
Then you can watch to make sure he does it right.
See if he is too lenient
or if he gives her a fair punishment.
San.
Yes, Your Majesty.
One day you'll be the source
of all justice in the kingdom.
So you must punish fairly,
so that all recognize your wisdom.
I will remember, Your Majesty.
Punish her then!
Let's see
if the punishment you choose strikes your grandpa as fair.
The King would surely never be satisfied
if the Crown Prince goes easy on her.
As I see it,
were a minister to willfully touch the path,
they would certainly be killed.
But were a commoner to touch the path,
they'd be sent to prison
to be set free again after a period of confinement.
I do think it is right for me to take
the god-given life of a subject.
That would be my judgment.
However, if a court lady were to touch it…
I'd rather not waste my time on something so trivial.
Aunt.
If a leaf falls onto the path,
palace attendants must schedule a time to remove it.
If the path freezes over,
they'll spread hot ash to melt it
before then removing the ash.
If it's slippery,
if the King were to slip,
would that not be terrible?
Palace attendants are simply our helpers
and debating their punishment is beneath us.
Still,
as the court lady appears to have offended my Aunt,
I will administer punishment.
I will confiscate half a year's pay.
How do you find your nephew's judgment?
Princess,
how about that then?
Father, I…
find the punishment satisfactory.
And I hope you, too, are satisfied by his wisdom.
Of course I am.
He's never once disappointed me!
I'm happy that all has turned out well.
You! You must be happy to get off lightly!
If it had been too severe, I would've had to save you.
What happened today wasn't your fault.
I hope you don't dwell on it.
Thank you, Your Highness, for saving- Today…
it was you who saved me.
I misread His Majesty completely.
If you hadn't have been there,
I wouldn't have changed my approach.
It could have been bad.
You are certainly quite meticulous.
Careful, don't mess it up.
I'm really trying my best.
Deok Im!
What are you thinking about?
Am I… meticulous?
In what world?
I've been called meticulous before.
I don't know who it is, but they sure don't know meticulousness.
Look at Yeong Hui.
To help us work better she got us all the same color. That's meticulousness.
Anyway, it's a good thing, right? It's a compliment.
Who said it? You really took it to heart.
No, I didn't.
I just wondered if they saw me in a positive light.
Like Gyeong Hui said, I'm not meticulous at all!
If someone expects it from me, they'll be completely disappointed!
Yeah but who would expect it from you?
Court Lady Seo…
Liar.
You're acting weird.
Is Sung Deok Im here?
There's a strange rumor going around
that the Crown Prince is visiting courtesan houses.
Your Highness?
They say he's visiting with Lord Gwangeun and Lord Heungeun.
Do you know anything about it?
No, Your Highness.
But I don't think the Crown Prince would ever do…
So you think it's just idle talk?
I do not know, Your Highness.
I'm just a lowly servant,
how dare I make predictions about His Highness?
Look into it.
Yes, Your Highness.
Welcome back, Your Excellency!
Leave us.
Gyeomsaseo?
Where is His Highness the Crown Prince?
Who are these people?
You don't know anything but came all the way here?
Pardon?
Whether you know anything or not,
there's really only one thing for me to do.
Kill her.
Yes, sir!
Stop!
[RED SLEEVES]
You're no longer a court lady of the Crown Prince's Palace.
Leave the palace tomorrow.
Always getting pulled in and pushed out, no say in your own direction.
That's the life of a court lady.
It seems like the Crown Prince could replace me.
I will depose the Crown Prince and put another in his place.
We've won this round.
Until the boy becomes king, we must avoid troublesome accidents.
Did I manipulate you,
or did you manipulate me?