Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Bong-hwan wakes beside Cheoljong and discovers that the man he thought was Hong-yeon really was the king. Their night together leaves him confused about feelings he can no longer dismiss easily. Cheoljong is also trying to understand the queen, who helped save his banquet despite speaking of betrayal. When they discover that their letters went to each other by mistake, the misunderstandings behind their private exchange finally become clear.
The Grand Queen Dowager withdraws from the regency, but she and Jwa-geun continue working against the royal couple. Poisoned ice is prepared for a drink served to the queen during a meeting. Dam-hyang, the young kitchen servant, recognises the danger and throws a stone to stop Bong-hwan drinking it. Her intervention saves the queen but gives the senior royals a reason to have the child arrested for the insult.
Bong-hwan pleads for Dam-hyang and promises to help her, only to learn that she has been condemned to drink poison. The apparent execution makes the palace's rules unbearable to him: a child has paid for preventing a murder arranged by people above her. Cheoljong speaks of her death as a necessary small sacrifice, provoking the queen's anger. As he turns away, however, his fingers are crossed behind his back. The gesture Bong-hwan taught him suggests that his spoken acceptance of the child's death is a lie.