The King's Affection (연모)

THE KING'S AFFECTION

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YEON-SEON

Dam-i.

Is it you, Your Majesty?

Are you Dam-i?

Why did you never tell me?

Why did you not tell me that you are Dam-i?

That is not important

now that we are…

together.

I could not bear to see you get hurt

because of me.

And I did not want you to strain your relationship

with your father even more.

It must have been difficult to look at me

without getting glimpses of the past.

I am well aware

that you also suffered for a long time.

This was a path…

that neither of us chose.

So please do not blame yourself.

I…

looked for you for a long time.

I went to the bridge whenever I visited the Capital.

Despite having a lonely life,

she…

never let it break her and lived her life with a smile.

I wished for that girl…

to be happy…

wherever she was.

It is what I wanted for you too.

Those memories we shared

may have been what helped me endure all these years.

I…

was happy to have met you…

back then.

And now,

you have come back to me.

That alone…

is enough for me.

EPISODE 19

You are like an angel.

Let me see.

It is a bit long on this side,

but that can be fixed by taking it in at the waist.

That will not be necessary.

Pardon?

I do not follow.

You may leave.

-There is something I must tell you. -Allow me…

to speak first.

I have thought about it,

and I wish to break off the engagement.

Agreeing to a loveless marriage…

will only create misery for us both.

I am well aware of the fact that your heart…

belongs to someone else.

And our heart…

is not something we can control.

Especially when it comes…

to loving someone.

I am sorry.

I truly am.

There is no need to apologize.

For I am the one breaking off this engagement.

I will let my father know.

I hoped it would be true love,

but I guess pain was meant to be.

The memories I shared with you will remain as such.

As memories.

In the end, you chose to cause trouble.

Do you not care that it could put His Majesty in danger?

Has it ever been your intention…

to protect and serve His Majesty?

What do you mean by that?

Why did you never tell me that His Majesty is in fact Dam-i?

Did you really intend to kill her?

You killed an innocent court maid

and now you’re going after Dam-i.

What is the path…

you have chosen for your life?

What other crimes have you committed

that I do not know about?

What is it that you wish to hear?

I suffered for a long time because I could not forget

the loving father that you were.

I also wondered meaninglessly

about what it would be like to forget everything…

and go back to how things used to be.

I may not be able to completely forgive you,

but I was at least…

starting to believe…

that I could finally understand you.

There is no need to.

These recent revelations…

only tell me that I must do what needs to be done.

If you must assassinate His Majesty in order to keep the secret buried…

your blade will have to go through me first.

Ji-un.

Why did you not tell me

Lord Changun attacked His Majesty?

His Majesty did not wish to reveal it.

You were following the royal command?

So this is how it will be?

Do tell.

What use could you possibly be to me?

I'll be of help in any way you want, of course.

I have someone on Hyun's tail.

No one will move as quickly as him

when it comes to His Majesty,

so maybe that could be of use to you.

Your Majesty!

Why did you kill Eunuch Cho?

How…

could you even ask me that?

Speak the truth this very moment

and I will at least let you live.

We have evidence that it was you who obtained the sonangcho .

So it would be wise not to play dumb.

Lord Sangheon ordered me

to take Eunuch Cho's life after the late King's death was confirmed.

Since Eunuch Cho served the late King for a long time,

he was at risk of

changing his mind at any time.

Please spare my life, Your Majesty.

Please do not kill me!

Do you know where sonangcho can be found?

Lord Sangheon…

would not have brought in any more after the incident.

It entails too much danger.

As far as I know, Lord Sangheon has the only batch.

You will go to Ganghwa and escort Gyeom back here.

Once my grandfather learns about my inquiries into the poison,

he will go after Gyeom.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I will think of an excuse to visit my grandfather's residence

and check the poison myself.

If you go there,

Lord Sangheon will only heighten security measures.

I will go instead.

But it is too dangerous. You cannot do this alone.

Once Eun-seo returns--

You said so yourself

that Lord Sangheon will soon find out.

A covert operation is easier when executed alone.

-But-- -I will not get hurt and leave you alone.

Have faith in me.

Scribe Jung…

If you are that concerned…

would you give me a hug?

Do not worry, Dam-i.

When I was young, a pretty little girl

scolded me for not training in the fighting arts.

If only she knew how hard I trained since then.

I will return unscathed, so do not fret.

Then I will return to the palace

and buy you some time.

What rumor?

Rumor has it that the King was born a twin.

A twin who shared a womb with a girl.

Your Majesty, that is preposterous.

How could you believe such bizarre words?

You should never--

There is no need for you to pretend anymore, Grandmother.

My grandfather let me know the truth yesterday.

That I had a twin sister.

In the year I was born, those working at the Royal Maternity Directorate

were all killed.

To bury the truth about twins being born,

everyone who knew was killed and buried along with it.

Is that true, Grandmother?

How could you have told him?

All I spoke of was the truth.

We could not have kept

a secret of such magnitude from him forever.

You must forget what you just spoke of.

Once people find out that you shared a womb with a girl,

the authority of the royal family will be heavily weakened.

Even worse when they find out what was done to cover it up--

Saji is what they say.

It means that a secret between two

will surely be exposed to others someday.

The rumor has started to spread like wildfire

and it will cause social unrest.

You must stop the rumor from spreading

or it will weaken your position on the throne.

That does not scare me, Grandmother.

However…

what concerns me more

is the hardship you and my grandfather will face

when held responsible for what took place to keep the secret buried.

You both

sacrificed countless lives for my sake

and must be held responsible for such crimes.

But do not worry.

They are nothing more than rumors.