EPISODE 1

Chapter One: The Crown and the Chains

35 BC – Capital City of Goryeo

The palace bells rang out in solemn splendor, their deep chimes echoing across the mountain-shadowed city. Banners bearing the royal crest of Goryeo fluttered in the spring wind, their golden threads dancing like fire in the morning sun. Nobles gathered in their finest robes, ministers stood in rigid formation, and the people of the capital pressed against the palace gates, eager to witness the rise of a new monarch.

Inside the Grand Hall of Ascension, Crown Prince Kang Ho Seok stood at the center of it all—solemn, regal, and bound by duty. Dressed in rich black and crimson robes, the color of kingship and blood, he looked every bit the ruler his late father would have wanted him to be. Yet behind his steady gaze was a storm no one could see.

Across the hall, adorned in intricate white silk and gold embroidery, stood Lady Kim Mi Shil—the soon-to-be queen. She was beautiful and poised, the very image of nobility, her expression unreadable behind the veil she wore. She was the daughter of Kim Dae So, the powerful Prime Minister from the Okjae tribe, and this marriage had been years in the making.

As the sacred rites began, the royal priestess anointed Ho Seok’s brow with the oil of heaven and pronounced him King of Goryeo. Applause filled the chamber. The nobles bowed. Trumpets blared.

And among the guards stationed at the side, dressed not in silks but in armor, stood General Lady Kim Seo Hwa of the Bir Yul tribe.

Her face was composed, unreadable—like tempered steel. But in her chest, her heart pulsed with quiet anguish. She watched as the man she loved—her companion on the battlefield, the one who held her hand beneath moonlit trees and whispered dreams into the night—was being bound to another. Not for love, but for alliance. For power.

Ho Seok's eyes found her.

Just for a moment.

His face remained calm for the world, but to Seo Hwa, that single glance was enough. She saw it in his eyes—the ache, the regret. A silent plea, a whispered apology. Her heart clenched, but she did not flinch. She bowed her head as the queen stepped beside her new husband, and the crown was placed upon both their heads.

Goryeo had its king and queen.

But the throne had stolen something from them both.

Queen Mi Shil knew. She had known from the beginning. She had watched the way Ho Seok spoke to Seo Hwa, how his voice softened around her. And though her heart stung with jealousy, she kept her chin high. She loved the king, yes—but more than that, she loved power. Her father had told her since childhood: “Love is fleeting. Bloodlines are eternal.”

One Year Later

Royal Court Hall – Goryeo Palace, One Year Later

King Kang Ho Seok had made his decision to make General Choi Seo Hwa as his concubine.

The atmosphere in the grand hall was tense. Ministers stood in rows, their faces locked in mixed disapproval and restrained curiosity. At the far end of the chamber, King Ho Seok sat upon the Dragon Throne, eyes sharp, shoulders straight. Beside him stood Queen Mi Shil—composed, regal, yet her gaze burned with a quiet storm.

A court official stepped forward.

Minister of Rites (bowing): “Your Majesty, with the deepest respect, this council pleads you reconsider. Taking General Kim Seo Hwa as a concubine will stir unrest among the tribes—especially within the Okjae court.”

Prime Minister Kim Dae So (coldly): “The Bir Yul tribe has already been granted favor with her position as general. To elevate her further—into the royal household—threatens the balance Your Majesty’s late father fought to protect.”

The king rose from his throne, silence falling like a sword through the hall.

King Ho Seok (firmly):

“My father ruled by fear. I will rule by righteousness.

General Seo Hwa has bled for this nation. She has commanded armies when others fled.

If loyalty, courage, and honor are threats to balance—

Then perhaps it is balance that must be questioned.”

Gasps rippled through the court.

Queen Mi Shil didn’t flinch. But her fingers curled ever so slightly over the edge of her silken sleeve.

King Ho Seok (continuing):

“I have made my decision. Lady Kim Seo Hwa shall be taken into the royal household as my concubine. Any who oppose her place… may challenge it with their deeds, not their tongues.”

The ministers bowed—some bitterly, others in weary silence. Prime Minister Kim Dae So said nothing, but his eyes met his daughter’s with a message clear as fire: We will not forget this.

Later that evening, a quiet ceremony was held. No feasts. No celebration. Just solemn incense, traditional rites, and a king who held the hands of the woman he had loved in silence for years.

Lady Seo Hwa stood before him in her ceremonial robes, head bowed. Though her face was calm, her heart was storming.

King Ho Seok (softly, as they knelt together):

“I could not give you the throne…

But this, at least—

I give you my vow.”

And at that moment, though the court disapproved, the heavens bore witness:

Kim Seo Hwa had entered the palace… not as general, but as the woman the king truly loved.

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