Seong Hui-ju - IU

The “Mad Dog” of Castle Group

She’s the second child of Castle Group, the nation's top-ranked conglomerate. Not only was she born with a silver spoon, but she also possesses stunning looks and a brilliant mind. Combined with a ruthless competitive streak, her win rate is a perfect 100%.
"I'd rather win dirty than lose clean."
Because she doesn't stop until she wins, her battles never end. It was inevitable that Hui Ju would despise those noble aristocrats. To her, it's laughable to see them hold their heads high over a mere title they didn't earn through effort or skill. That's why she enjoys competing with them; watching the scions of prestigious families wave the white flag before a commoner and illegitimate child like herself is quite a thrill.
However, even for Hui Ju, there's one battle that isn't easy: marriage. For the sake of both the company's future and her own, marrying into a prestigious family is essential. But her title as CEO of Castle Beauty and her reputation as an award-winning entrepreneur mean nothing in the marriage market. Her status as a commoner and the stigma of being an illegitimate child are viewed as defects.
Ultimately, Hui Ju realizes that she must fight to win even a marriage. Ever the quick calculator, she sets her sights on the most prestigious groom in the country. If she must fight, she must win. And if she must have something, she must have the most precious thing of all.
That's how she meets Wan—a man who even stepped back from a battle he'd already won, a man who resembles her, yet makes entirely different choices.

Grand Prince I-AN - Byeon Woo-seok

The pride and peril of the royal family

He is King Hee Jong’s second son and Seon Jong’s only younger brother. Being the second son in the royal family was both a license to do nothing and a shackle that commanded him to stay put. A life in which he was forbidden to shine or cause any commotion was no different from a painting on display in an art museum. The problem was that his destiny was not as tranquil. With his overflowing competitive spirit, fiery temper, and even his penchant for the color red, he was a boy ablaze.

King Hee Jong kept a close watch on his son, for he feared that Wan’s fiery temper might one day harm Hwan, the crown prince. Consequently, he changed Wan’s title twice—from Prince I-YEONG to Prince I-SHIN, then from Prince I-SHIN to Prince I-AN. From then on, Wan chose to conceal his flames and live as a young man who could carry the sea within himself, suppressing his desire to win and controlling his boiling temper. Then, King Hee Jong passed away. As his older brother Hwan ascended the throne and his son became crown prince, it seemed the royal family was safely moving away from turmoil. However, Prince I-AN’s older brother, now King Seon Jong, died in a mysterious accident. The problem was that crown prince Yun, who was to succeed him, was merely five years old. He was far too young and frail to uphold the dignity of the royal family and carry out his duties.

From that moment on, Wan acted as a regent, receiving the nickname “the 21st Century Prince Su Yang”, a title he could not avoid.

“Do you think there is a season for hunting?”
Then, he meets Hui Ju, a woman who will stop at nothing to win. She resembles him, yet makes different choices than he does.

Min Jeong-woo - Noh Sang-hyun

Head of the Executive Branch

He’s the firstborn of the Min family, whose members have been active in politics for generations. It is common knowledge among the nation’s citizens that both his father and his grandfather served multiple terms as prime minister. So it comes as no surprise that Jeong Woo is also following in their footsteps. What’s truly astonishing is not his impeccable background, but his brilliant mind and his even more striking good looks. What’s more, he is even kind-hearted and is adept at flirting, too. Thanks to this, the one at the top of the list of men women want to marry is not Prince I-AN, but Jeong Woo. After all, the warm-hearted Jeong Woo seems like a better man than Prince I-AN, who looks like he wouldn’t bleed even if you pricked him.

But this guy is no pushover.
He doesn’t do typical campaign activities like shaking hands with vendors at traditional markets just because it’s election season. Cooking is his hobby, so he visits those markets often anyway. That said, he’s not the frugal or simplistic type either. He loves collecting supercars and enjoys wearing limited-edition sneakers. His political stance is also impossible to predict. One day, he acts like a symbol of the establishment, and the next, he presents himself as a champion of revolution. While he sometimes faces criticism and accusations for being like a political opportunist or a snake, it simply doesn’t faze him.

“Why should I have to explain myself?”
Jeong Woo has someone with whom he can be completely honest and open. That person is Prince I-AN, who shares a similar fate—living behind a mask, with a dark face beneath it. The trust and friendship they’ve built since their childhood run deep. Thanks to that, they can share even the most uncomfortable opinions, such as cuts to the royal budget or revisions to the laws of the royal family.

Had Prince I-AN not married Hui Ju, or had it just been a strategic marriage, or had they even simply divorced, their friendship would have continued.

Yoon I-rang - Gong Seung-yeon

The perfect queen

She’s the perfect queen born into the Yoon clan, which produced no fewer than four queens. In such a family, I Rang learned to walk without making a sound, to smile even when angry, and to live like a flower. Some dismissed it as a suffocating life, while others praised it as a glorious one, but I Rang felt nothing. That in itself was befitting of a queen.

Having enrolled in a royal academy rather than Sungkyunkwan, she met Prince I-AN—who would become her brother-in-law—before she met her betrothed, the crown prince. Perhaps because she knew they would become family, her gaze often drifted toward him. No, he was the sort of man who would naturally draw your attention even without trying. It was his impassive expression, calm demeanor, and the desire hidden within. Somehow, he seemed to resemble her. Was that why? Sometimes she would dare to imagine what it would be like if he were the crown prince. What if he were the crown prince instead of just a prince? What if he were her husband instead of her brother-in-law? Whenever her longing grew intense, I Rang would think of life as a queen, of becoming the king’s woman, an idol to other women, and her destiny to become a part of history.
Therefore, Prince I-AN must never become king.

“If I had known you’d become king, I wouldn’t have given up.”