The D-day arrived and the interview happened. With all the chaos in the palace, Shin, at last, confessed his true feeling (erk I'm cringing while typing this) but now, the most important thing is the matter of succession. The back story of the king himself was slowly being revelled and another (probably important in the future) new female character introduced to the reader. Will she be a comrade to Chae Gyung or another enemy adding to the flock?

I thought I reviewed this right after I read it but apparently, I don't. From what I can remember ( I read a lot of other books, my memory kinda fuzzy sometimes), the king seems like he's going to betray someone. Divorce still a constant thing on ChaeKyung's mind & by the end we see THE interview she's dreading about.

So, Chae Kyung made the stupid divorce announcement, like I was dreading she was. And that, of course, not only upset Shin, but really hurt him as well, which apparently makes him stress-puke, or something like that. It's sad, but it's also kind of sweet, because it really is evidence of how much he cares about Chae Kyung, that he could be hurt so much.

The first half of this volume is all about Shin being mad at Chae Kyung for what she's done: the divorce talk, not trusting Shin, consistently picking Yul when she needs help. The second half was better for me because I enjoy the slow progress they are making in their relationship. When they tell each other the truth, I want to cheer, because it feels like such a rare occurrence. I love the funny moments between them, like when Shin comes to see Chae Kyung early in the morning, just because he missed her, and she pretends to fall back asleep and makes him sleep on the couch, because she's worried about how fast things seem like they're moving. (Chae Kyung, girl... trust me, they're not moving fast.) And Shin is groaning because he knows moments alone together are few and far between.

My hope is that Shin and Chae Kyung can continue to be truthful with each other with their feelings, and trust what one another say. Unfortunately, as supportive as Shin has been lately, I feel like the fragile trust Chae Kyung is starting to place in him is going to blow up when she finds out that he didn't tell her about her grandfather doing poorly. Clearly Yul is not going to keep that a secret; the only question is how fast he's going to run to Chae Kyung to tell her. I know she's flip out and get angry, but I hope she at least allows Shin to explain his reasoning, his father's demands, and how hard it was for him. He truly agonized over telling her, and regrets not doing so.

As for Yul, I finally though that he might give up on Chae Kyung. How many times does a girl have to say she's not interested, and run into her husband's arms, before you realize it's never going to happen. I thought it was interesting Yul's fiancee's reaction to finding out Yul loved Chae Kyung. What's the purpose of stealing the Crown Princess costume and then blaming its destruction on Hyo Rin? Or was that all done before she found out about Yul and Chae Kyung? So confusing.

How is this new baby prince going to affect the storyline? With a new prince, Yul sinks even lower on the next-to-be-king list. How can the King possibly replace Shin with Yul, now that he has a second son? Is he going to give that up and support Shin? Or do something else obnoxious and crazy?

Lastly, I love that not a volume goes by without a Royal Great-Grandson request coming from the Queen Mother. I love that lady. She is awesome, and I support her every wish. :)

Chae-Kyung announces she wants a divorce on national TV. The queen goes into labor. Chae-Kyung's grandfather goes into critical condition, but the king commands Shin not to let her know, because she must remain at the palace to support the queen. When the grandfather dies, Cha-Kyung is grateful for Shin's comfort.

I can't tell if the king's plotting makes no sense because I don't get Korean cultural norms or because it only exists to create further tension between Shin and Chae-Kyung. Why is it bad for Chae-Kyung to leave her mother-in-law for her dying grandfather's bedside?