Princess! Princess!
Is it tormenting you to learn of the bloodshed
caused by your family 30 years past?
Do you despise your parents so deeply that you would abandon your mind
and surrender your body?
Your mother came to me.
She appeared to me and pleaded for me to save her daughter.
And… I learned the truth about your father.
How could a mere court lady refuse a command like that?
Royal Noble Consort Sukbin Choi forced your mother to do those deeds.
Your father saved your mother by marrying her.
So don't turn your hatred upon your mother or your father!
Do not allow that hatred to be exploited by the spirit, Princess!
Princess!
Princess.
What has caught hold of your gaze?
Are these the blossoms of the ginger tree, Mother?
Yes, my dear.
They grow in abundance back in my hometown.
When I shared this with His Majesty,
he bestowed it upon you as your childhood namesake.
Do you sometimes miss your homeland?
I don't.
There are no happy memories there.
My father died very young.
And my mother was often unwell.
Then, Mother,
please be born as my daughter in your next life.
That way, I will keep you safe.
That is a wonderful and special idea.
How did that…
- Are you all right? - Your Majesty!
How did that happen?
- Are you all right? - Is anyone out there?
- Is there no one to help? - Bring something for the wound!
Your Highness!
Go check outside.
- Right now. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Chief Eunuch Kim.
What is going on?
Are you all right?
Has your sight returned? How?
We must stop the bleeding first.
That was far too close.
It's a good thing the Crown Prince fled as soon as you woke up.
I was a complete and utter fool.
I allowed the Crown Prince
to overcome the ward and use me as its vessel.
We should take you to the physician.
First though…
Where did you see my mother?
I would like to speak with her.
I must tell her that I will release her lingering resentment, and that…
that I will be all right, and she should go to the afterlife.
She can't do that now.
- She can still pass on. - Not anymore.
Her soul was devoured by a gwi-mae on the other side.
What, um…
What does that mean?
Your mother's soul
was obliterated in the other world.
Go to Saeng-gang now!
I will be fine!
So go now, please. Protect my daughter!
Save Saeng-gang! I beg you.
I am sorry.
THE EAST PALACE
The Princess came to see me last night.
According to the eunuchs,
she acted in a most unusual manner.
It's nothing to worry about. You need not be concerned with her.
What's important is I must go outside the palace
if I'm to send the Crown Prince's soul to the afterlife.
There's no more need for that. Do not send the soul to the afterlife.
Obliterate it.
Do you know what it means to do that?
To obliterate someone's soul?
It does not matter.
You won't be leaving these walls at all.
- The Princess can do it in your stead. - I won't allow it.
I will urge the Princess to withdraw from this.
It'll be too dangerous.
But you said we shouldn't worry.
So then something did occur with the Princess.
And…
something happened to you as well.
She was given to you because she can hear the spirits' voices.
The Princess has her uses. You'll keep acting together.
I have clearly stated to you that the Princess is in danger, perhaps--
Do not overstep your place by fretting over the safety of the Princess,
or have you forgotten your lowly station,
and now she has become an object of your desire?
No, of course not.
She was starting to get in the way.
I simply want her to be gone.
The closer she gets to the Crown Prince's secret, Your Majesty,
the closer she gets to uncovering more secrets of the royal family,
and her heart can no longer bear the weight.
Why are you still here?
Just in case you got possessed.
Can you tell me now?
Your eyes… What happened to you?
I obtained the eyes of a gwi-mae.
The eyes of a gwi-mae?
What happens to you now?
Don't concern yourself with that. Just hold on to this, please.
Don't be careless and lose it.
And you don't need to concern yourself with the Crown Prince's spirit anymore.
With my sight restored,
I'll deal with the spirit on my own.
- Why are you being like this? - Because you get in the way.
You may lose your body to the Crown Prince once more.
Taking care of you has nearly made my intestines fall out.
Gu-cheon.
Is this because of my mother?
If it's about that…
don't be troubled.
She met her end while trying to save me.
You have no reason to feel guilty.
It's not your fault what happened to her.
- Do you hear me at all? - It is my fault.
Even before that…
there was a soul that was devoured by a gwi-mae seeking my yin energy.
So you should just stay away from me.
Who knows what may happen to you if you stay with someone so cursed.
Never again
will I lose anyone because of my actions.
Did you bring those wards from your private residence?
You brought a lot of them with you.
You can go now.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Where did you suddenly run off to last night, Saeng-gang?
Kneel down, will you?
Closer.
Come, my child.
Once again, you and I must go back
to the inseparable grandmother and granddaughter that we were,
and with you, I will be able to keep our family unharmed
so we can guard our family secret that took place 30 years ago.
Oh.
Someone has already started to notice the mess you've caused.
Your Highness, your presence is urgently requested
at the Queen Dowager's quarters.
His Majesty the King has arrived.
You may all sit.
You summoned even the royal kin.
For what urgent matter have you called me?
I do not have the leisure to sit and enjoy refreshments at present.
Thirty years ago,
while the late King's sons met their untimely deaths,
I wish for you to tell me how it happened that only you, out of them, survived.
Has my own survival
truly displeased you all this time, my dear Mother?
I am simply asking you to clarify how you escaped the pond spirit's curse.
Can you explain?
At the time, I took refuge in the temple of a renowned monk who exorcized spirits.
But you are aware of that, Mother.
No!
I am aware that there was no need for that
since there was no spirit there to begin with.
The Princes' deaths 30 years ago were not the work of some pond spirit.
That is clear.
This case of poisoning was carried out by a mortal.
Bring forth Inha!
Prince Inha collapsed as soon as he entered the palace.
And something was found in his quarters beside him.
The confectionery box, which Prince Inha ate from.
And one more thing.
It was given to me by the Princess.
Her mother is also said to have died
after eating food from a lotus-patterned confectionery box.
This is clear evidence that the Princes' deaths
were not the work of the pond spirit,
but the acts of someone poisoning the royal bloodline.
What do you think of this, Your Majesty?
Are you saying…
that I killed my very own brothers by poisoning them one by one?
When everyone else is killed,
naturally, the sole survivor becomes the main culprit.
And those actions allowed you to be on the throne.
A throne that you could never have claimed, Your Majesty.
Are you willing to stand behind the words you speak…
and bear their weight, Your Majesty?
What are you doing, Your Majesty?
Your Majesty.
But that is…
Goodness.
You claimed it was poisoned.
We will have our proof in time, will we not?
Oh…
- Chief Eunuch. - Yes, Your Majesty.
Take Prince Inha outside the palace right this minute.
Outside the palace in this state?
Something has piqued my curiosity.
Stop here!
Your Majesty, the moment we left the palace,
the young prince regained consciousness.
What is that?
And he asked us to deliver a message to you.
Wait! What did he say?
That it was actually a spirit that tried to kill him.
It said that it would sever the royal bloodline.
No. That cannot be.
It must have been poison that did this.
Poison?
What nonsense is this?
Are you saying that I, their father,
am responsible for killing my sons with my very hands?
They were all killed by the pond spirit.
The Most Favored Lady of the Court, whom you put to death.
No, no.
I held back out of concern for your well-being.
Now I simply have no other choice.
You cruelly put the pregnant favored court lady to death,
completely severing the royal bloodline, and branded me as a murderer.
Your ruler, your King, and the most sovereign of this nation!
I will not tolerate this any longer!
You are to leave the palace.
At once.
How dare you command me!
I already know the entire truth! I know it all!
This is all your doing! I know the truth of it all!
I know it all!
No, you bastard!
No, you do not.
Because it was you.
You are behind all of the palace tragedies and curses.
This all started because of you, Mother.
I was dragged by you into this miserable hell
because of your pathetic actions.
Now, it is time you accept it.
Do you hear me?
This is your burden to bear.
Your karma, Mother.
I will never leave the palace. Not ever.
I will not leave, not even in death!
This palace belongs to me! It is mine!
This palace is mine! It belongs to me!
I will never leave here. Never!
Your Majesty, are you all right? Please, calm yourself.
Your Majesty.
Father! Wait!
Let us leave.
You willingly released the spirit of the Crown Prince?
You took Prince Inha as your adopted son, despite knowing the spirit would harm him.
How could you have done this?
Is your mind your own, Saeng-gang?
And who are you today?
Are you really the Princess?
Don't appear before me until the pond spirit's been destroyed.
I cannot place my trust in you until then.
I, too, cannot place my trust in you at the moment.
Father, why did your first and second sons both die?
Like the third one you buried.
Were those two poisoned as well?
The consequences of that sin will come for you.
It is inevitable.
Fine.
Then I shall wait.
The King…
I must kill the King.
Come in.
I must kill the King.
Are you saying the plague has reached the outskirts of the capital?
We humbly apologize, Your Majesty. All gates of the capital have been closed,
and we have restricted anyone from entering or leaving.
The Jeonuigam, the Hyeminseo, and the Hwalinseo
are to report to me all measures in place to contain the sickness at once.
And release all of the grain reserves. Make sure the Minister…
- Your Majesty! - Your Majesty!
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty. The plague has come.
I will summon the physician.
No.
Gu… Gu… Gu-cheon.
G… Gu-cheon. I need Gu-cheon.
Now.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty. Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Take a proper look at me.
Tell me what you see.
This is unlike the spirits I see here in the palace.
I see people around you, wailing in suffering.
Please help us.
Their bodies are covered in spots.
And a child, around the same age as Prince Yeongan, is by your side,
clutching the hem of your shirt, Your Majesty.
So they're the villagers.
The people with the plague you killed.
Did they come to the palace… bearing ill will against me?
Won-gwis are remarkably simple.
If they hold resentment,
the soldiers who killed them are the ones they'd go after.
But instead, they chose the one who gave the order, Your Majesty.
Someone guided them to you from the other realm.
So the one who brought the spirits here is…
It was the Crown Prince.
Then go… and resolve this to the end.
What about all the spirits here?
If they remain, you will be in danger.
I will conduct a Yeoje rite.
I will have it performed tomorrow night
and have the spirits driven out of here to end this.
Driven out of here?
That rite is for souls who have died unjust deaths.
An appeasement rite will surely fail if performed with that mindset.
You just focus on the Crown Prince's spirit
and how to get rid of it.
The time we agreed upon draws near.
What are you doing?
Something calls.
I hear it.
What calls?
Gu-cheon.
It's nothing. Don't worry.
Be honest with me.
Did your condition worsen after you got the eyes of the gwi-mae?
Why are you here?
Did I not say that I would do this alone?
Is this really how you're going to be?
I told you, my mother's soul being obliterated
was my fault for getting possessed.
None of it was your fault!
I know you are doing this out of concern for me.
What's already happened and whatever happens after tonight,
I promise you right now,
that is all my burden to bear.
None of it's yours.
The Crown Prince's spirit failed to approach the King.
It's drawing the spirits of the villagers with the plague into the palace.
I will draw them all to this place.
The Crown Prince's spirit
will surely seek out the King and kill him.
Draw them in…
I couldn't even protect your mother's soul.
I mustn't allow your father to be taken as well.
I should send you out of this place to free you,
but I need you in the palace.
I can only depend on you.
We will wait until the morning arrives
so I can replenish my yang.
I will share my yang energy with you.
I will find out what he intends to do with the plague spirits,
but I need you to buy me some time.
First, write a spell, coat it with chicken blood,
and affix it to the King's bedchamber.
That way, the Crown Prince will not be able to approach easily.
The King must be protected until the Yeoje rite is held.
What are you doing here?
Do not let anyone enter this chamber from now on.
I asked you a question. Why have you come here suddenly?
I did not wish to be here either,
but I was told that I must protect you until the Yeoje rite is held.
So Gu-cheon has spoken to you, I see.
There is something I must tell you, Your Majesty.
What is it?
There is… someone here who is not a plague spirit.
Your Majesty.
He's behind you, Father.
There is something you must know about the Crown Prince.
Stay where you are.
Please, I beg you, hear me out, Your Majesty.
He says that he wishes to speak to you about the Crown Prince.
No.
- Do not listen. - Please, I beg you.
What is it that you are trying to keep hidden?
- You are to leave at once. Now. - No, I refuse.
Father, you must speak for yourself. You can't keep evading the truth.
That's enough, Saeng-gang!
Whatever it is that voice so earnestly begs you to hear,
I will hear it speak.
Do not come closer. Do not listen.
I said you are to learn nothing more about this! Leave, now!
- Leave this place at once! - Father!
Who is speaking?
You need to tell me honestly. Did you kill him, Father?
I commanded it.
Why did you have him killed?
He said that…
he was trying to confess that he saw…
what the Crown Prince had done.
I see.
This palace has always been
the most interesting place.
Would you not agree?
Are you saying
the Crown Prince could hear the voices of spirits as well?
I want you to tell me exactly
how I, your father, became King.
Because the late King's sons died one after the other.
And tell me the reason…
why they all died?
I was told it was the curse of the pond spirit.
Be honest with me.
I don't understand what you mean.
In our lineage, there are children among the relatives
on my mother's side of the family
who are born with a cursed ability our ancestors had passed down,
and you have that ability.
You can hear the voices, can you not?
So you must have known in advance that the pond spirit never even existed
and how it wasn't a spirit who killed the late King's sons.
But, in fact, it was a human.
Your Majesty!
And yet,
my first and second sons have died as well.
They both died, even though no such spirit ever existed.
They vomited black blood, just as my brothers did.
Meaning…
you must have heard the secret from 30 years ago
and reenacted it.
Did you really think that I'd let you get away with it?
Did you…
Did you really poison this?
How could this happen?
How could a father kill his own children by poison?
You can never become the King and rule the people of this land.
I will not allow you to ever realize that agenda.
Why?
That's how you became King yourself, so why?
Why is it that I am not allowed to ever be King, huh?
We do not need another brother killer to be King.
That role is mine alone.
You, too…
…will be known as having died by the curse of the pond spirit.
Yes, do as you wish.
Oh, my father, since you are the pond spirit…
…it is only fitting that I die by the spirit's hand.
And when I do die, Father…
I will become the true and now very real pond spirit.
Father!
As the curse decreed 30 years ago…
…I will completely sever the royal bloodline.
If I… cannot be the king someday…
Father?
Father.
Father!
Then you, too, cannot be the King, Father.
May peace fill this house and harmony be fulfilled!
With one heart, we offer this solemn prayer!
Your Royal Highness, who is the householder deity,
take our gifts to you!
Even though, Crown Prince, we've not much to offer,
please partake in this meal and drive away the plague spirits
from this palace!
Is he devouring human souls like a gwi-mae?
Stop that at once!
Does that mean…
His Majesty's dead?
Father.
Father!
Gu-cheon!