The story begins with a narrator tracing the history of the royal family, which dates back to the Joseon Era. Throughout the years, the royal family has evolved, becoming more ceremonial and less political in their influence.
We flashback to when Hui-ju was a high school student at Seonggyungwan. She consistently outshone her classmate, Ryu-min seok, much to the discontent of her peers. Most of the students at the school came from wealthy royal backgrounds and resented that Hui-ju, the illegitimate daughter of a business elite, excelled over them. Even the school management constantly reminded her of her humble origins. However, Hui-ju never let the negativity affect her, and she stood up for herself at every opportunity.
After graduation, Hui-ju takes over one of her father's businesses, Castle Beauty, and consistently outperformed her brother's company. This time, however, her brother, Tae-joo, employs cheap and underhanded methods to try to defeat her. She orders her team to leverage her visit to the palace to celebrate the Crown Prince's birthday to boost sales. Her competitive nature and strict management style are evident in how she runs the company. Most of her staff are intimidated by her.
At the palace, we meet Grand Prince Yi-an, who is somewhat rebellious. The palace staff have their hands full with him, especially his right-hand man, Choi-hyun. This time, Choi-hyun tries to prepare Prince Yi-an for the Crown Prince's birthday party, but Prince Yi-an chooses to sleep after a day of hunting.
In the evening, guests start arriving at the palace as the media reports the event live. Hui-ju makes an entrance wearing a striking red outfit, despite it being frowned upon. The journalists label her a "clout chaser," but they can't deny her beauty and talent. Inside, she overhears a few ladies gossiping about her heritage and subtly confronts them. She also puts Tae-joo in his place when he tries to come for her.
She reminds him of their respective capabilities, emphasizing that his cheap marketing tricks will not tarnish her company's reputation. The guests are then ushered into the hall for dinner. Prince Yi-an, who is fashionably late, arrives dressed casually in a cheolik (hunting outfit), much to the annoyance of Queen Mother Yi-rang. She attempts to reprimand him, but he calmly asks her to wait for the appropriate moment.
As the dinner nears its conclusion, things temporarily calm down. The planned celebratory events also proceed without a hitch. Hui-ju runs into Prime Minister Jeong-woo, whom she teases for being not only a politician but also a member of the royal family.
Later, Grand Prince Yi-an has a private conversation with Jeong-woo and informs him that the Queen Mother has been urging him to get married. As Prince Yi-an is the regent, once he gets married, Jeong-woo will have to take over. Jeong-woo dislikes the idea of taking on those responsibilities again. Prince Yi-an asks him to intervene and prevent his marriage by blocking it in parliament.
After their conversation, Prince Yi-an notices Hui-ju wandering around the restricted part of the palace. He offers to overlook her mistake if she disappears within three seconds. Just then, a sudden explosion is heard, and Prince Yi-an rushes to investigate. He asks her to wait there, but she secretly follows him.
It turns out that someone has started a fire in the palace, triggering Prince Yi-an's trauma. Unfortunately, three years ago, the king also died in a fire. Jeong-woo arrives just as Prince Yi-an is inquiring about the safety of the crown prince.
In a shocking turn of events, the Queen Mother, Yi-rang, appeared and slapped Prince Yi-an, accusing him of the fire. Everyone was shocked, but the crown prince arrived, and Yi-rang rushed to his side. As he left, Jeong-woo instructed his staff to investigate the fire, suspecting it might be related to the King's death. He also asked them to manage the media. After witnessing Prince Yi-an get slapped, Hui-ju quietly left. Her secretary, Hye-jung, was shocked that her boss left the party early. Hui-ju told her about the fire, and they left.
On the drive back home, Hui-ju described Prince Yi-an as arrogant and recalled an encounter she had with him at Seonggyungwan. He found her sneaking into the archery field to practice by herself at night. She didn't hesitate to confront the biased school system for approving his request to privately practice but denying her the same courtesy. He was shocked by her audacity to speak her mind and still paid him respect as the prince and her senior.
The next day, the Queen Mother insincerely apologized to Prince Yi-an. He played along and accepted her apology. She went on to express her fears that his position as the regent was overshadowing the crown and that the public and people at the palace loved Prince Yi-an. He reminded her that he was not to blame for that. As a royal family member, his job had always been to remain passive.
The conversation took Prince Yi-an back to his younger days when his dad kept reminding him never to go against the crown prince. For this reason, the king changed Prince Yi-an's royal title twice. Of course, the King's indifference hurt him, but he didn't dwell on it.
Yi-rang insisted that her son was only 8 years old and couldn't handle royal duties yet. She wanted Prince Yi-an to prove his loyalty to the crown prince by getting married to a woman of her choosing.
Meanwhile, Hui-ju learned that her dad was trying to marry her off. She was angered to learn that Tae-joo and his wife also participated in the suitor selection. To top it off, they wanted her to marry a man she felt was beneath her. They kept reminding her that she was an illegitimate child and shouldn't expect much. She warned her dad that if he tried to force her to get married to someone incompetent, she would ruin their plans. She insisted that she was his most competent child, and marrying her off wouldn't diminish her light or hide Tae-joo's lacking skills.
Elsewhere, Choi-hyun was shocked to hear that Prince Yi-an was considering Yi-rang's offer.
The next day, Hui-ju vents her frustrations on her staff, prompting Hye-jung to ask her to tone it down and stop being petty. Back at the palace, Prince Yi-an runs into Lord Sung-won, who questions his reasons for leaving the palace and who will protect royal interests while he's away. Despite knowing that Lord Sung-won is threatening him, Prince Yi-an remains calm and explains that he's only going to his private residence. Later, Lord Sung-won warns the queen mother not to act irrationally when it comes to Prince Yi-an. She vents her anger about his tardiness, the choice of attire, and the fire, blaming him for everything. However, Lord Sung-won reminds her to be careful, as the Grand Prince is the beloved and powerful regent.
At Castle Group, Hui-ju has a sudden epiphany of trying to marry a royal family member who is as competent as she is. She sets her sights on Prince Yi-an, who is trending for his outfit at the Crown Prince's party. She decides to send him a royal audience request.
The public thinks Prince Yi-an's trendy outfit is a modern take and loves that he's switching things up. However, the royal family claims it's inappropriate to wear a cheolik. Despite Chi-hyun's concerns about the backlash, Prince Yi-an is relieved that no one is talking about the fire.
With the growing backlash, Prince Yi-an refuses to accept any royal audience requests. He's surprised to hear that Hui-ju is trying so hard to get one. Each time, he orders Choi-hyun to reject her requests. The rejection riles Hui-ju up, and she claims he's playing hard to get. Conversely, Hye-jung finds the whole thing ridiculous.
After trying so many times and listing all her positions, Hui-ju opts to remind Prince Yi-an that he's her senior alum. Finally, he grants her an audience and invites her to his place. The queen mother overhears about the visit and asks one of her maids to reach out to their mole in Prince Yi-an's place.
Meanwhile, Hui-ju arrives dressed to the nines and confidently proposes they get married. He's taken aback by her boldness but ultimately agrees to consider her proposal. The tension between them builds as they navigate their newfound relationship, each with their own motivations and desires.
