Without knowing Yu Ra's devious ways, Wang Shik contacts her to meet face to face. When he approaches her, he gets a glimpse of Ma Pil and decides to abort for Yu Ra's sake. Later, his vigilance teaches him of Yu Ra's involvement in his mother's murder.

As the nation watches the extravagant wedding, the elevated platform Sunny stands on breaks and sets on fire. Just as the situation gets dire, the new Imperial guard, Woo Bin, saves her. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager thinks of a way to get rid of Yu Ra who is now the chief assistant of the palace.

Ms. Hong takes the envelope given by the Grand Empress Dowager containing evidence of the Imperial Family's corruption to the Prime Minister, but it never reaches him. The autopsy of the Grand Empress Dowager reveals poison was the cause of death, the same toxin found in the food the Empress had given her, and as a consequence, the police arrest the Empress for the murder. Meanwhile, the Imperial Family turns their back on Sunny.

Trying to clear her name, the Empress returns to the palace to retrieve a recording device she had hidden in the Emperor's chamber. She barely escapes the Emperor and slips away with the help of Wang Shik and Baek Ho. Later, Baek Ho takes her to his secret operation headquarters and reveals to her of the Emperor's coverup of murder.

Without knowing the authorities were tapping the phones, the Empress makes a call to her family and gets caught. But before she makes it into the police station, Ms. Hong confesses to the murder. Later, the Empress broadcasts to the nation a recording of the Emperor and Yu Ra talking about his illegitimate child, damaging the Emperor's image.

The Emperor hits and kills Wang Shik's mother with his car. With Wang Shik just behind him, the Emperor loads her body and escapes. Yu Ra convinces him to trust her and tells him to dump the body. She then helps him create an alibi. Meanwhile, the Emperor orders Mr. Ma to destroy any evidence of him being in Bichido.

With substantial evidence of the hit-and-run accident in her hands, the Empress Dowager reclaims her power over the Emperor and blackmails him to marry Oh Sunny. Cornered and not wanting Ms. Min to go to prison, the Emperor starts to court Oh Sunny. Meanwhile, Na Wang Shik determines to become an Imperial guard and asks the old man who saved him, to train him.

After finding out the people involved, Wang Shik returns to Bichido and swears to kill Pil Joo, the Emperor, and Yu Ra. He also tries to abandon Dong Shik, Yo Ra's son, but doesn't have the heart to do it. Angrier than ever, Wang Shik challenges the Emperor to a sparring match and impresses the Emperor.

Knowing how the Empress must feel, the Grand Empress Dowager spends the day with her and invites her father to the palace. Pil Joo searches through Woo Bin's quarters and finds out that he is Wang Shik. When he goes after Wang Shik, he tells him the truth behind his mother's death.

The Emperor regrets getting mad at the Empress and begs her not to leave him as she sleeps. Michelle announces Empress Oh Sunny to be the Crown Princess' proxy and tells her about the conversation about her she had with the Grand Empress Dowager before her passing. Later, Sunny tries to match the hairpin she receives from Michelle with the one used in the Grand Empress Dowager's murder, knowing that the only other one, was owned by the Empress Dowager.

Knowing that Sunny planned to reveal everything during his 10-year-anniversary as the emperor, he asks her for her forgiveness one last time before he locks her up. On the day of the celebration, Yu Ra helps Sunny escape. Sunny makes it to the venue just in time, and when she stands in front of the crowd, she tells everyone of the unthinkable heinous crimes the Imperial Family had committed. Meanwhile, Mr. Pyo and his henchmen run down Wang Shik, causing him to crash head-on with a wall.

After saving the Emperor's life, Sunny safely returns home. The assailant is apprehended, and the Emperor and the Empress Dowager learn that he is the brother of Kang Joon Sung, an Imperial guard who went missing seven years ago. Mysteriously, the assailant dies of a heart attack during the interrogation. Meanwhile, Yu Ra tells her mother that she wants nothing to do with her and her family.

Yu Ra confesses to the hit-and-run accident and tries to stage her death, but the Emperor and his guards rescue her just in time. In the aftermath of securing his alibi, Sunny stands in the spotlight of the media. Despite the nuisance, the Emperor tries to deter the hit-and-run topic and surprises Sunny with a date. Meanwhile, Wang Shik seeks support for evidence he had secured at the accident site.

Transformed and well-trained, Na Wang Shik, who is now Chun Woo Bin, gets one step closer to fulfilling his revenge. The Emperor hires him as an Imperial Guard. Preparations for the wedding of the century begin, and the two families undergo customary traditions in style. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager banishes Min Yu Ra from the palace.

When the Empress sees the Emperor and Ms. Min together kissing on a cruise ship, she realizes she had been a fool but decides to hear him out. The Empress Dowager tracks down the Prince and asks him to come back to the palace, but the Prince slips away and finds refuge at Ddobong's Fried Chicken, Oh Sunny's father's restaurant. Meanwhile, Woo Bin feels for the Empress and offers his support.

After talking to the Prince over the phone in after seven years, the Emperor starts to worry. Knowing that the presence of the Prince is a direct threat to his position, the Emperor confronts the Empress Dowager. Meanwhile, with newly found strength and courage, the Empress takes it into her own hands and strips Yu Ra of her title and incarcerates her.

While the Emperor tries to restore his name to the people, Sunny appears boldly before him and forgives him publicly and asks to start again. Reluctantly, without an option, the Emperor and Empress are once again together. To rectify the issue of the Emperor's illegitimate child, the Imperial Family accepts Ari as a princess. Meanwhile, the Emperor promotes Wang Shik as the Chief Guard and asks him to court the Empress.

Wang Shik recovers his mother's body and gives her a proper goodbye. He promises her that he will punish those who are responsible for her death. Sunny stays close by and consoles Wang Shik, and through the empathy, their relationship grows deeper. Meanwhile, the Emperor grows jealous of their relationship and tries to win the Empress back.

When the Emperor is about to pull the trigger, Woo Bin promises to bring him Wang Shik. The Empress blackmails the Empress Dowager and regains command of the palace workers, and later, she uses her authority to fire Yu Ra as the Empress Dowager's court lady and places her under her control. Meanwhile, the Emperor continues to court the Empress.

All the evidence found in the investigation of Prince Yoon's attacker points to the Emperor. However, the Empress suspects it was Kang Hee. But with Princess Ari as her alibi, she can't prove it. She resorts to using Yu Ra to find out more about Kang Hee by reviving Joo Seung's memory. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager reviews the video evidence captured on Prince Yoon's phone and hides it in her safe.

The Empress and the Emperor set up a trap for Kang Hee. With so much on the line, Kang Hee takes the bait. When she couldn't look any guiltier of being Prince Yoon's attacker and of knowing something about the death of Empress So Hyun, the Empress Dowager comes to cover for her. Later, the Empress Dowager shows the Emperor proof that Woo Bin, the Empress, Prince Yoon, and even Baek Ho, are making a fool of him.

In the present, mysterious skeletal remains are found on Ehwa Palace grounds with a necklace worth 2.2 million dollars thought to be a gift of the Emperor to the Empress. Jumping back one year earlier, at a luncheon with selected people, the Emperor meets Oh Sunny for the second time. In the blink of an eye, the event turns into a hostage situation where the Emperor and the people almost lose their lives.

As the Imperial Family gathers to celebrate the Grand Empress Dowager's World Peace Award, Oh Sunny appears on behalf of the Empress Dowager's request to put on a show. But really, she's there to be introduced as the Emperor's significant other. Wang Shik suffers a devastating fall but is rescued by a villager before the Emperor's men can finish their job. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager threatens Ms. Min to stay away from the Emperor.

The Grand Empress Dowager overhears Yu Ra and the Emperor talking and learns of their secret. She forbids their love and demands Yu Ra to leave the palace. Later, the Empress tries her best to please the Emperor but following Yu Ra's suggestion only angers him. Meanwhile, Wang Shik starts to get closer to the Emperor.

While trying to catch the Emperor in the act, the Empress gets entangled in a predicament of her own, putting her loyalty to the Emperor in question. Wang Shik betrays her, and with the Emperor's command, he pushes her off a cliff into a river. Meanwhile, Oh Sunny's father gets caught illegally gambling by the authorities again.