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Watched for the Royal Glamour, Hoped for a Better Story, AND GOT NOTHING
My rewritten review after completing the drama
Honestly, I’m not a huge K-drama watcher, so when I started this drama, I went in with both curiosity and very high expectations 👑✨. A modern royalty theme, A-list actors, luxurious production, palace politics, business power struggles — on paper, this drama sounded exactly like something that should have been unforgettable for me.
And first of all, I want to make this clear: it is actually quite a nice drama if you watch it casually. If you don’t think too deeply about the writing and just enjoy it like a royal fantasy fairy tale 🏰💫, then I can absolutely understand why many viewers are loving it. The drama is visually beautiful, stylish, luxurious, and very easy to watch.
But for me personally, the experience feels more complicated than that.
Usually, I’m very careful when rating dramas. I don’t rate based on popularity, visuals, or whether my favourite actor is starring in it. Even if my favourite actor appears in a poorly written drama, I will still criticise it or even drop it completely. That’s why I sometimes struggle with sites like MDL. I often feel like many viewers rate dramas emotionally rather than fairly. Popular actors and romantic fantasy stories automatically receive higher ratings, while genuinely layered thrillers or more complex dramas are judged much more harshly. Sometimes it feels less like honest reviewing and more like people wanting to protect their fantasy worlds 💭.
And honestly… this drama just doesn’t fully work for me the way I hoped it would.
When I really analyse the drama deeply, I can’t say it has anything truly groundbreaking overall. However, I also can’t deny that certain aspects are genuinely top-tier. That’s the strange feeling I have while watching this drama — I’m not fully satisfied, but I’m still impressed in certain areas at the same time.
Now let’s talk about the acting and chemistry 🎭.
This is actually one of my biggest disappointments.
From the moment this drama was announced, I had massive expectations because of the cast alone. The modern royal family concept already caught my attention immediately, but then seeing IU and BWS cast as the leads made my anticipation even higher. I had also seen so many people praise their previous performances, so naturally, I expected powerful acting and unforgettable chemistry.
But honestly… I just don’t feel it.
Even after eleven episodes, the chemistry between the main couple still feels weak to me 😅. In the beginning, I excused it because the story was still developing and the characters were just meeting each other. But as the drama continued, that emotional connection I was waiting for never truly arrived. I kept expecting a scene that would suddenly make me emotionally invested in their relationship, but it never happened.
About IU specifically — I actually do think she acted well. I genuinely like her as an actress, and she still carries scenes naturally. But my issue is that I expected MUCH more from her. After watching some of her previous dramas, I know how emotionally impactful she can be. Here, however, her performance feels more “acceptable” than extraordinary. She performs the role correctly, but nothing about it feels especially memorable or emotionally overwhelming. It feels like she is simply acting the character rather than completely becoming the character.
Now about BWS… I know many fans may disagree with me here 😭.
But honestly, I feel like he completely misunderstood this role.
This character is not simply a handsome romantic male lead. He is a Grand Prince. A regent. A royal figure carrying generations of political authority and royal responsibility. He is the son of a late king, brother of a former king, uncle to the current king, and one of the most powerful figures in the royal family. A character like this should naturally carry royal elegance, imperial dignity, authority, composure, and overwhelming presence 👑.
But I personally felt none of that from him.
Visually? Yes, he looks extremely handsome. His styling is excellent. His face, body proportions, outfits — all perfect. But beyond the visuals, I honestly could not feel royal charisma from him at all. The way he walks sometimes feels more like a runway model than a prince raised within royal traditions. He looks amazing as an idol-like fantasy male lead, but this role required much more than appearance.
This is not a story about an idol.
This is a story about royalty.
And for me, he never truly embodied that royal identity. Sometimes I even felt like the second male lead carried more believable nobility and aristocratic presence than the actual male lead himself.
Speaking of supporting actors — I genuinely think the second female lead gave the strongest performance in the drama 🖤✨.
Even though she plays a darker and more villainous character, her acting feels convincing, layered, and engaging. Every time she appears on screen, I pay attention. She understands the tone of her character very well and delivers it properly. Out of the entire cast, she impressed me the most.
The second male lead also did a pretty solid job. His acting wasn’t as impactful as the second female lead’s performance, but he still felt believable within the royal world. At times, I honestly thought he matched the royal concept better than the main male lead because he naturally carried that noble atmosphere.
Now let’s talk about the writing and characterisation ✍️.
This is another area where I struggled a lot.
I understand why many viewers feel conflicted about the female lead. Sometimes she feels dominant, sometimes manipulative, sometimes emotionally unstable, sometimes pitiful — but the issue is that none of these traits is fully developed. It feels like the writer wanted her to be many things at once without properly committing to any direction. As a result, her characterisation feels incomplete and inconsistent.
And honestly… some of her loudly shouting scenes became genuinely frustrating for me 😭. Instead of feeling powerful or emotionally intense, they often felt noisy and overly exaggerated.
As for the male lead’s character, I actually think the basic concept itself is very good. A prince burdened by royal responsibility since childhood, trapped between duty and personal emotions — that idea has huge potential. But the execution feels weak. Some of his behaviour feels far too immature and unrealistic for someone raised within a royal institution. I’m not from a royal family, obviously 😭, but even I feel like the writer didn’t properly study royal behaviour, political etiquette, or aristocratic culture before writing this script.
And now… the plot 🔍.
This is probably the biggest reason why I feel disappointed overall.
I personally LOVE layered political stories filled with twists, betrayals, strategy, hidden motives, and psychological tension. Since this drama revolves around royalty and political conspiracies, I expected something much more complex.
But after eleven episodes, the story still feels surprisingly simple.
If someone asked me to summarise the entire first half of the drama, I would simply say this:
A Grand Prince burdened by royal responsibilities enters an arranged marriage with a wealthy and intelligent illegitimate daughter of a business family. Their political marriage slowly turns into love while conspiracies happen around the royal family.
And honestly… that’s basically it.
Yes, there are political schemes, assassination attempts, accusations against the royal family, and villainous manipulations happening in the background. But none of them truly shocked me. There were barely any real twists. Most developments happened exactly the way I expected from the very beginning. The supposed masterminds were obvious early on, and the drama never created the level of tension or unpredictability I hoped for.
Now I absolutely NEED to praise the cinematography and production design though 📸✨.
Because visually, this drama is genuinely stunning.
The fireworks scene in Episode 1? Absolutely breathtaking 🎆.
The Grand Prince’s proposal scene during the royal function? Beautifully staged and visually memorable.
The costume design deserves enormous praise 👗💎. Honestly, this is one of the biggest reasons I continue watching. The styling team selected incredibly luxurious outfits and accessories, especially for IU. Watching her appear in those elegant gowns and royal-inspired fashion pieces is genuinely one of the highlights of the drama for me.
I also loved many of BWS’s royal outfits — especially his Episode 1 entrance costume and the imperial military-style uniform in Episode 6. Those costumes finally gave him the regal aura I wanted to feel from the character.
The architecture and interior design are also gorgeous 🏛️✨. The palace interiors, royal residences, ceremonial halls, and private estates all feel rich and expensive. The drama constantly reminds you that this is a massive high-budget production.
And honestly… You can SEE the money on screen 💰👀.
Everything looks luxurious.
The sets.
The costumes.
The jewelry.
The locations.
The lighting.
The overall atmosphere.
This drama truly feels like an S+ production in terms of visuals and budget.
I also really appreciate how the drama combines traditional Joseon royal aesthetics with modern luxury fashion and business culture. That mixture feels fresh and visually unique compared to typical K-dramas.
However, one visual issue I noticed is that many wide-angle shots feel strangely empty. Sometimes, there are giant palace buildings or massive locations shown with barely any people around them, which creates a very desolate atmosphere instead of a lively royal environment.
About the OST 🎼 — I usually don’t pay much attention to soundtracks, but I do think this drama has some beautiful background music. The soundtrack fits the luxurious royal atmosphere very nicely. However, despite sounding pleasant, none of the songs feels truly unforgettable or emotionally iconic yet.
At the end of the day, the biggest reason I was so excited for this drama was the royal concept itself 👑✨.
A Grand Prince and a billionaire young woman?
That combination sounded AMAZING to me.
It immediately felt more refreshing than the usual “cold CEO and poor innocent girl” cliché. I liked that the female lead is intelligent, wealthy, ambitious, and capable instead of helpless.
That’s why I’m continuing this drama despite my frustrations.
Even though the acting, chemistry, writing, and pacing disappointed me in many ways, the royal fantasy atmosphere, luxurious visuals, costumes, architecture, and overall production quality are still entertaining enough to keep me watching.
So overall, this drama feels like a visually stunning royal fantasy with incredible production value, beautiful styling, and strong aesthetic appeal ✨👑🏛️ — but at the same time, it also feels emotionally weaker, less layered, and less impactful than I originally hoped.
I still hope the final episode surprises me and delivers stronger emotional depth🤞💫.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
I just completed the last episode, and I honestly do not even know how to express my disappointment 😭💔 Such a huge disappointment.
At least I hoped to watch a big plot twist in the final episode 🤯⚡ but no… nothing happened 🫠 Everything happened exactly as I expected. Actually, some of the things I expected never even happened.
I really hoped the villain would finally get a proper backstory 🥀🖤 I thought he would have some emotional or hidden story about himself, and that all those villainous actions were connected to revenge or some deeper reason 😮💨 But no… such a foolish reason 🤦♀️ Oh what the hell was that 💀
And what even happened in the end? 😭 I have literally watched the same type of ending years ago in another drama 🫥📺
I was already disappointed with the acting and directing 🎭📉 so I thought, okay, at least the scriptwriter might save this drama ✍️ But I expected a great, satisfying, or at least complete ending 🌌✨ Instead, they just… ended it 😐 No major reveal, no emotional impact, nothing memorable.
When this drama started, I genuinely thought it would have a big and meaningful plot 🔥 But in the end, it barely even had a story at all 🫠 It just felt like a staged play dragging toward an empty ending 🎬⬇️
Ahh, such a freaking disappointing drama 😭💢 Oh my gosh.
Honestly, I’m not a huge K-drama watcher, so when I started this drama, I went in with both curiosity and very high expectations 👑✨. A modern royalty theme, A-list actors, luxurious production, palace politics, business power struggles — on paper, this drama sounded exactly like something that should have been unforgettable for me.
And first of all, I want to make this clear: it is actually quite a nice drama if you watch it casually. If you don’t think too deeply about the writing and just enjoy it like a royal fantasy fairy tale 🏰💫, then I can absolutely understand why many viewers are loving it. The drama is visually beautiful, stylish, luxurious, and very easy to watch.
But for me personally, the experience feels more complicated than that.
Usually, I’m very careful when rating dramas. I don’t rate based on popularity, visuals, or whether my favourite actor is starring in it. Even if my favourite actor appears in a poorly written drama, I will still criticise it or even drop it completely. That’s why I sometimes struggle with sites like MDL. I often feel like many viewers rate dramas emotionally rather than fairly. Popular actors and romantic fantasy stories automatically receive higher ratings, while genuinely layered thrillers or more complex dramas are judged much more harshly. Sometimes it feels less like honest reviewing and more like people wanting to protect their fantasy worlds 💭.
And honestly… this drama just doesn’t fully work for me the way I hoped it would.
When I really analyse the drama deeply, I can’t say it has anything truly groundbreaking overall. However, I also can’t deny that certain aspects are genuinely top-tier. That’s the strange feeling I have while watching this drama — I’m not fully satisfied, but I’m still impressed in certain areas at the same time.
Now let’s talk about the acting and chemistry 🎭.
This is actually one of my biggest disappointments.
From the moment this drama was announced, I had massive expectations because of the cast alone. The modern royal family concept already caught my attention immediately, but then seeing IU and BWS cast as the leads made my anticipation even higher. I had also seen so many people praise their previous performances, so naturally, I expected powerful acting and unforgettable chemistry.
But honestly… I just don’t feel it.
Even after eleven episodes, the chemistry between the main couple still feels weak to me 😅. In the beginning, I excused it because the story was still developing and the characters were just meeting each other. But as the drama continued, that emotional connection I was waiting for never truly arrived. I kept expecting a scene that would suddenly make me emotionally invested in their relationship, but it never happened.
About IU specifically — I actually do think she acted well. I genuinely like her as an actress, and she still carries scenes naturally. But my issue is that I expected MUCH more from her. After watching some of her previous dramas, I know how emotionally impactful she can be. Here, however, her performance feels more “acceptable” than extraordinary. She performs the role correctly, but nothing about it feels especially memorable or emotionally overwhelming. It feels like she is simply acting the character rather than completely becoming the character.
Now about BWS… I know many fans may disagree with me here 😭.
But honestly, I feel like he completely misunderstood this role.
This character is not simply a handsome romantic male lead. He is a Grand Prince. A regent. A royal figure carrying generations of political authority and royal responsibility. He is the son of a late king, brother of a former king, uncle to the current king, and one of the most powerful figures in the royal family. A character like this should naturally carry royal elegance, imperial dignity, authority, composure, and overwhelming presence 👑.
But I personally felt none of that from him.
Visually? Yes, he looks extremely handsome. His styling is excellent. His face, body proportions, outfits — all perfect. But beyond the visuals, I honestly could not feel royal charisma from him at all. The way he walks sometimes feels more like a runway model than a prince raised within royal traditions. He looks amazing as an idol-like fantasy male lead, but this role required much more than appearance.
This is not a story about an idol.
This is a story about royalty.
And for me, he never truly embodied that royal identity. Sometimes I even felt like the second male lead carried more believable nobility and aristocratic presence than the actual male lead himself.
Speaking of supporting actors — I genuinely think the second female lead gave the strongest performance in the drama 🖤✨.
Even though she plays a darker and more villainous character, her acting feels convincing, layered, and engaging. Every time she appears on screen, I pay attention. She understands the tone of her character very well and delivers it properly. Out of the entire cast, she impressed me the most.
The second male lead also did a pretty solid job. His acting wasn’t as impactful as the second female lead’s performance, but he still felt believable within the royal world. At times, I honestly thought he matched the royal concept better than the main male lead because he naturally carried that noble atmosphere.
Now let’s talk about the writing and characterisation ✍️.
This is another area where I struggled a lot.
I understand why many viewers feel conflicted about the female lead. Sometimes she feels dominant, sometimes manipulative, sometimes emotionally unstable, sometimes pitiful — but the issue is that none of these traits is fully developed. It feels like the writer wanted her to be many things at once without properly committing to any direction. As a result, her characterisation feels incomplete and inconsistent.
And honestly… some of her loudly shouting scenes became genuinely frustrating for me 😭. Instead of feeling powerful or emotionally intense, they often felt noisy and overly exaggerated.
As for the male lead’s character, I actually think the basic concept itself is very good. A prince burdened by royal responsibility since childhood, trapped between duty and personal emotions — that idea has huge potential. But the execution feels weak. Some of his behaviour feels far too immature and unrealistic for someone raised within a royal institution. I’m not from a royal family, obviously 😭, but even I feel like the writer didn’t properly study royal behaviour, political etiquette, or aristocratic culture before writing this script.
And now… the plot 🔍.
This is probably the biggest reason why I feel disappointed overall.
I personally LOVE layered political stories filled with twists, betrayals, strategy, hidden motives, and psychological tension. Since this drama revolves around royalty and political conspiracies, I expected something much more complex.
But after eleven episodes, the story still feels surprisingly simple.
If someone asked me to summarise the entire first half of the drama, I would simply say this:
A Grand Prince burdened by royal responsibilities enters an arranged marriage with a wealthy and intelligent illegitimate daughter of a business family. Their political marriage slowly turns into love while conspiracies happen around the royal family.
And honestly… that’s basically it.
Yes, there are political schemes, assassination attempts, accusations against the royal family, and villainous manipulations happening in the background. But none of them truly shocked me. There were barely any real twists. Most developments happened exactly the way I expected from the very beginning. The supposed masterminds were obvious early on, and the drama never created the level of tension or unpredictability I hoped for.
Now I absolutely NEED to praise the cinematography and production design though 📸✨.
Because visually, this drama is genuinely stunning.
The fireworks scene in Episode 1? Absolutely breathtaking 🎆.
The Grand Prince’s proposal scene during the royal function? Beautifully staged and visually memorable.
The costume design deserves enormous praise 👗💎. Honestly, this is one of the biggest reasons I continue watching. The styling team selected incredibly luxurious outfits and accessories, especially for IU. Watching her appear in those elegant gowns and royal-inspired fashion pieces is genuinely one of the highlights of the drama for me.
I also loved many of BWS’s royal outfits — especially his Episode 1 entrance costume and the imperial military-style uniform in Episode 6. Those costumes finally gave him the regal aura I wanted to feel from the character.
The architecture and interior design are also gorgeous 🏛️✨. The palace interiors, royal residences, ceremonial halls, and private estates all feel rich and expensive. The drama constantly reminds you that this is a massive high-budget production.
And honestly… You can SEE the money on screen 💰👀.
Everything looks luxurious.
The sets.
The costumes.
The jewelry.
The locations.
The lighting.
The overall atmosphere.
This drama truly feels like an S+ production in terms of visuals and budget.
I also really appreciate how the drama combines traditional Joseon royal aesthetics with modern luxury fashion and business culture. That mixture feels fresh and visually unique compared to typical K-dramas.
However, one visual issue I noticed is that many wide-angle shots feel strangely empty. Sometimes, there are giant palace buildings or massive locations shown with barely any people around them, which creates a very desolate atmosphere instead of a lively royal environment.
About the OST 🎼 — I usually don’t pay much attention to soundtracks, but I do think this drama has some beautiful background music. The soundtrack fits the luxurious royal atmosphere very nicely. However, despite sounding pleasant, none of the songs feels truly unforgettable or emotionally iconic yet.
At the end of the day, the biggest reason I was so excited for this drama was the royal concept itself 👑✨.
A Grand Prince and a billionaire young woman?
That combination sounded AMAZING to me.
It immediately felt more refreshing than the usual “cold CEO and poor innocent girl” cliché. I liked that the female lead is intelligent, wealthy, ambitious, and capable instead of helpless.
That’s why I’m continuing this drama despite my frustrations.
Even though the acting, chemistry, writing, and pacing disappointed me in many ways, the royal fantasy atmosphere, luxurious visuals, costumes, architecture, and overall production quality are still entertaining enough to keep me watching.
So overall, this drama feels like a visually stunning royal fantasy with incredible production value, beautiful styling, and strong aesthetic appeal ✨👑🏛️ — but at the same time, it also feels emotionally weaker, less layered, and less impactful than I originally hoped.
I still hope the final episode surprises me and delivers stronger emotional depth🤞💫.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
I just completed the last episode, and I honestly do not even know how to express my disappointment 😭💔 Such a huge disappointment.
At least I hoped to watch a big plot twist in the final episode 🤯⚡ but no… nothing happened 🫠 Everything happened exactly as I expected. Actually, some of the things I expected never even happened.
I really hoped the villain would finally get a proper backstory 🥀🖤 I thought he would have some emotional or hidden story about himself, and that all those villainous actions were connected to revenge or some deeper reason 😮💨 But no… such a foolish reason 🤦♀️ Oh what the hell was that 💀
And what even happened in the end? 😭 I have literally watched the same type of ending years ago in another drama 🫥📺
I was already disappointed with the acting and directing 🎭📉 so I thought, okay, at least the scriptwriter might save this drama ✍️ But I expected a great, satisfying, or at least complete ending 🌌✨ Instead, they just… ended it 😐 No major reveal, no emotional impact, nothing memorable.
When this drama started, I genuinely thought it would have a big and meaningful plot 🔥 But in the end, it barely even had a story at all 🫠 It just felt like a staged play dragging toward an empty ending 🎬⬇️
Ahh, such a freaking disappointing drama 😭💢 Oh my gosh.
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