You mean her leg wound? It's 50/50 at this point, we've never saw how severe it actually is and she's been getting it treated since then.

You're probably right, but I don't think: a) writer is experienced/researched enough to cover all the details like that, b) King as a main matchmaker here gives any royal damn about his future daughter-in-law's skin condition as long as she fits all the political criteria and can potentially give him legitimate grandsons. He's chosen a girl he likely never saw, who has a provincial low-ranking official for a father purely because she's a relative of his main supporter and he needs to marry his son asap. Dude is in no position to be picky!

@gikata I meant since Ep one she has been having injuries/scars. We saw her treating her wound in the cave. Then wasn’t she hurt again in her head and Hwan was taking care of her? Then the hazing left a small injury on her face. And then the leg wound.

Let’s see how they take this forward.

Reputation thing bothers me too, but then again, as long as King is on board with it (or frees the seat for Hwan to take lol), anything is possible. Irl Joseon knows even more wild cases of women with scandalous reputations getting up there.

This drama is my favorite thing airing right now by a lot. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I've been pretty obsessed from the beginning. Even this week, when I am totally swamped with other things, I still found time to squeeze in these episodes and steal a few moments to comment here because I can't stand not to interact with it! So glad you're enjoying it too :)

Me too! So embarrassing. This show gave me the impetus to actually join Dramabean for real so I can chat with you cool folks :).

@koalatown Yay! Welcome for real! I'm so glad you've been sucked in, and extra glad that this was the drama to do it!

Problem is, rebels seem to want get revenge on King and all his bloodline just as much, if not more, as on Jo clan. Which is somewhat justified in King's case, but I've had to roll my eyes when that guy was blaming Hwan to his face for massacre decade ago - he was a kid back then, hello! So even if logically and sympathetically Hwan agrees with rebels' reasoning to a certain degree, they still want his whole family and himself dead. He may try to find a compromise, even possibly at the expense of his own neck, but that's it. He won't let them have more no matter what. Same fierce protectiveness extends to Jaeyi, Sung On and other "his people". If one of them gets harmed in process, I think we'll get the front seat to witness how unhinged and murderous Hwan can actually be. Beware the nice and quiet ones, remember?

@koalatown, I'd love a conclusion without bloodbath, but there are few issues that need resolving before making a peace. Death of Hwan's hyung - who did that? Who almost crippled and kept torturing Hwan himself? Who murdered Jaeyi's whole family and made her scapegoat? Idk about our indeed generous and compassionate CP, but I'm not very forgiving. Someone better to pay for all that.

@Gikata. I think that all the interactions with tavern couple showing how compassionate Hwan is, willing to listen and learn and different from his dad will help them sway the rest of the rebels that he's different and not worth killing/overturning. I think those scenes are more meaningful than just giving us some enjoyment of watching the investigative team interact together.

I dunno anymore because writer has no respect to let us have ANY certainty about who knows what in this drama.
Well, nerd fetish IS a thing...

I'm fine with hats and lack of manes - it's been a while since sageuk blessed my eyes with some pretty flowing hair - but they surely need to drop some self-restraint! Hwan has already done that to his paranoia, hat, table manners, no skinship rule and even honorifics... What is just a little more of emancipation?

I think letting his hair down would help with that. And loosening his corset and removing his chastity belt.

@kaddicted,
Joseon Crown Prince with his hair loose? He'll probably opt to be fully naked instead, that's way less scandalous by customs)))

Chastity belt won't go away unless she knocks him down to get rid of the thing. But I'm afraid progressive viewers won't find such plot twist appealing in terms consent ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Talking about letting the hair down: How often do you think a CP washed his hair back then?
One of the questions that weighs heavily on my mind is whether CP washed his hair while under house arrest and who helped him do it.

@Nefret, I assume he had to tend to himself in terms of personal hygiene during that month... after sending poor Jaeyi running to get him hot water for all that giant bathtub of his))) What a wasted opportunity to include a scene where she innocently suggests to lend a helping hand and he gets all worked up over that - before rudely kicking her out and locking the door from inside just in case)))

@nefret @kaddicted @gikata jumping in on the hair discussion… how weird was it that Hwan had his hair band thingie still stuck to his forehead while he had a fever and Jaeyi was dabbing his face with a cloth? Like… why couldn’t they remove the dang headband?!

@happyokaytales, headband is part of the wig usually, that's why sageuk boys rarely take them off circumstances be damned - unless actor has his real hair long enough to make it work even without headband covering all that needs to be covered. Some actually grow their hair out for sageuks - not fully, ofc, that's not something you can do even in a year, but a bit to achieve the more comfortable for stylists length.

@Gikata: Such a funny scene...him kicking her out from the tub area!

Oh, I'd like to see sageuk with flowing hair, like Lee Hwi in The King's Affection, just on men. It must be too difficult to achieve with wigs.

Maybe it's because he's too used to the king+subject/servant relationship where the subject/servant is often going "Jeoha. You did great! Your words are so wise!" To paraphrase Myung-jin, the prince doesn't is self-centered and doesn't have a good perspective since he is too used to people going "Jeoha Jeoha" *cue gesture of supplication* Maybe he just assumes Jae-yi is being a very VERY loyal subject.

@asianromance, I have a slightly sadder interpretation - he's so NOT used to people sincerely worrying about him (let alone expressing such worry with PDA), that he has trouble to see the difference between all kinds of love. Yes, he got it about himself regarding Jaeyi, but for him to understand that he is, in fact, loved back as a man and not just a friend/brotherly figure... That's actually a point - she used to have 2 brothers approximately around his age, one not related by blood at all. Maybe that's how Hwan thinks she perceives him too. He also doesn't seem to pick up his own sister having crush on Sung On (unlike the man in question imo).

I think she is still not 100% sure of his reaction. He keeps pushing her to his friend, determined to keep his word and honor his friendship. And while he is always ready with hs jealous bouts, the moment she asks him 'why' about any of his actions - he cleanly dodges the volleys and goes right back to 'you should go back to where you belong'. She all but begged him to answer - did he really want her to leave - and he not only was obtuse to her feelings, he didn't even meet her quarter way. No wonder she was super annoyed at his one more jealous bout. He just does not read her yet (no fault of his, she has been meticulous in maintaining her servant form to the T)

The bracelet point scores this situation.

Right. Actually wondered, when did you throw those ‘loving eyes’ exactly? I mean, the viewers themselves (who have seen everything that happens in the story) took a while to figure out that Jaeyi did actually have feelings for Hwan. I’m not surprised Hwan didn’t notice. Not even adding his purposeful denial and obliviousness most of the times.

@minniegupta1, in conclusion, both of them are dancing to very different tunes - she's all for something fast, risky and probably latin while he... uhm... whatever the hell his dancing style is, it's painfully slow and equally painfully dramatic. And none of the footwork matches so far, only hand gestures once in a while.

Somewhere in between those cooking lessons she took before weeding should've been included a lecture-slash-warning about most men being unable to get hints or spit it out unless you choke and shake them hard enough. That would've save her and us a lot of time and heartbreak.

@mmsik16: She has been gazing into him a lot lately even before the melt down at her panick of losing him. And he also deliberately kept her at an arm's distance (the whle shadow thing - she is openly flirting and he is so squeemish haha!)

@mmsik16, maybe she meant those beaming smiles she keeps giving him? *scratches head* Because everything else that fits the bill either happened when he WASN'T around to take useful notes from her reactions or reactions in question were way too delicate for never-dealt-with-a-woman-before kind of a guy to discern.

@minniegupta1, right, how could I forget about shadow scene? He probably took it as a meaningless teasing though, just like that one time when she was advancing on him in a tiny dark alley and clearly enjoying his flustered panic. Wait, now I am also starting to wonder if she was just THAT drunk and thus silly for no reason back then or there was actually more to it...

@gikata there was more to it. I’m reading every action of hers differently in hindsight, and realizing that all her supportive comments, the beaming into his face, her teasing and clinging, the drunken comments, those were all excuses to get closer to him. She was growing her affection for him right from the beginning once she realized his character and felt for his pain from the arrow injury. She admired his strength in overcoming what he has, felt for his loneliness and pain, and trusted him and desired his trust. The little sparks of affection from him, the food gifts only added to it… by the time he threw her out of East Palace due to the adopted brother’s suicide note, she was desperate and heartbroken bc she was already in deep. My opinion is that that’s when she realizes she had more feelings than admiration for the CP (but kept it to herself). That’s my read, anyway.

@happyokaytales, so we presume that not only did they fall for each other simultaneously almost from the very start, but also realized their feelings at the same point - when he kicked her out? Damn, we've been played... Almost as much as they played themselves with all that precious time wasted))) How about a cheeky meta of Jaeyi being all "we should've done this MUCH sooner" once they finally get to the business?

@gikata, oh yeah, I think we’ve been played for sure. Jaeyi was developing feelings at the same time as Hwan, but the writers played it such that we were only let into Hwan’s internal monologue, and shown Jaeyi’s actions, which remained as opague to us as they did to Hwan, absent any glimpse into her thoughts. And in the end, we are only revealed her thoughts through her actions— the desperate search for him, only caring about finding him when injured, the running hug, the nonstop weeping when he was injured, etc… but Hwan didn’t see all that from our same perspective while unconscious for most of it (and since he saw even less than Sung On, Sung On is probably closer to the truth than he is, for that matter). So Hwan’s left to interpret Jaeyi’s actions in the most conservative manner— she cares deeply for his well-being as a servant and friend, they have a connection and they need each other, that’s it.

@happyokaytales, oh, I like this take of most of their "romance" so far being shown from Hwan's POV. Poor guy, he missed like 90% of the most crucial episode in this melodrama, and there was no reruns in Joseon, dammit! It's probably too much to expect Sung On to friendly enlighten him, right? They're not exactly on "dude, wtf is going on between you and that cute little eunuch?" terms...

My take is she fell for him the moment he told her "You try, you can". The ease with which she made eyes at him to come up with a name - she just had gotten battered by him (the dude almost punched her in the face, the closest he has possibly come to touch a female lol!) and yet she had no fear of him at all. To me that was very telling.

@minniegupta1, there's also this little but important detail of him being her father's favorite student... Like a lot of shared values and other familiar things here, ofc they hit it off pretty fast.

Nearly punch in the face, also nearly a brain concussion (twice), nearly slashed throat, nearly sprained wrist, nearly broken ribs and some pretty bruises from all the face grabbing for a final touch. I'd say his (presumably) first serious physical interaction with a woman went pretty smoothly and memorably, if a tad bit too intense)))

Props for the effort, but I don't think her words during belt scene were of any help)))
I'm eagerly waiting for their next drinking session and whatever life-changing shock she bestows upon him this time.

Or maybe Crown Princess-to-be just has a boo and is as "excited" to marry Hwan as he's gonna be once he hears about their impending wedding.

To add, I also found his crowing of Crown Prince glory to Right minister at the Archery ceremony instigating, and telling. It's almost like they are setting the Right Minister to take the fall for everything bad that happens to CP.

Forgot to add that this is exactly where all his extra fiery indirect confessions that often sound suspiciously close to paraphrased marriage vows come from - he wants her and HATES that he can't, hence his subconscious always nudges him to find at least one good reason, some basis to lay his claim on her once and forever and proceed at full speed from that. Like "if you'd just ask ME for that damn ribbon" or "if you'd just FINALLY told your not-so-ex-fiancee that you two are 100% over"... All she has to do rn is giving him an excuse. This will do WONDERS on him, I'm sure of it.

All I'll say is the body doesn't listen to the mind, as anyone who ever had a baby can testify!

@kaddicted, watch my jaw to be forever glued to the basement's floor if Hwan ever let's himself go enough to perform something that can result in babies before he and Jaeyi are properly married. He may want it and she may try to seduce him (wouldn't put it past her, girl is shameless, hot-blooded, curious and madly smitten - explosive combo), but he won't give in unless he's 200% confident it's okay to do so. I'd love to see him struggling with temptation though...

P.S. As a walking result of shotgun teen wedding I can't really argue with your main point)))

I should have been clearer - I was talking about the mind having no control over the body when giving birth, not how the baby got there in the first place! 😄 However on that subject, I don't think men are as able to control their physical responses to women in the way we can control ours. So I'm agreeing with hacja on this. There's no way our CP cannot understand what his body is doing or requiring, and it is perverse of these mostly female writers of k-dramas to pretend otherwise, unless they are all committed virgins from the Joseon era themselves.

... watch my jaw to be forever glued to the basement's floor if Hwan ever let's himself go enough to perform something that can result in babies before he and Jaeyi are properly married

You may be under-estimating them both. It's a short step from people wondering what exactly is their relationship anyway to actually going there. Sung-on is wondering, Tae-gang is definitely wondering. Hwan has also never seen Jae-yi dressed like a woman. Wait until she borrows Ga-ram's props and then throws herself at him. I think he might be dropping more than his bag!

Nah, that's also TV censoring speaking, not just female writers lacking understanding of how the body of a healthy man in love works))) I'm amazed to this day that other Hyungsik's show, SWDBS, actually got away with a rather elaborate scene of his character struggling with a badly timed boner... We don't see that in kdramas often.

I'd agree with you, if not for one thing - the very same babies that physical intimacy between our leads can result. This is not a modern show where birth control is a thing and characters can have all the fun with no unwanted consequences unless plot calls for pregnancy drama. Joseon era had what, abortive and other questionably effective potions? Not sure if I want to think about the topic in details, ewww. I've already mentioned this before - Hwan is not just a proper Joseon man and CP, he's also a second generation child of an extramarital affair (or one night stand, drinks and rapey aspect possibly involved). Which fact did nothing but great harm to him and his family. I don't see him agreeing with the risk of passing such unlucky fate on his own children, not to mention all the danger accidental pregnancy can put Jaeyi in her current situation. As much as I'd love them to go full honeymoon rn, boy has all the legit reasons to keep it in his pants until their circumstances drastically improve.

Hwan has also never seen Jae-yi dressed like a woman. Wait until she borrows Ga-ram's props and then throws herself at him. I think he might be dropping more than his bag!

I was thinking about it too. He obviously gives more importance to appearances than she does, even if her male clothes didn't stop his feelings. I really hope we'll get such scene, his face will be epic in that moment))) Not sure even that is gonna be enough to gave up his defenses completely though.

😄

"watch my jaw to be forever glued to the basement's floor if Hwan ever let's himself go enough to perform something that can result in babies before he and Jaeyi are properly married. He may want it and she may try to seduce him (wouldn't put it past her, girl is shameless, hot-blooded, curious and madly smitten - explosive combo), but he won't give in unless he's 200% confident it's okay to do so. I'd love to see him struggling with temptation though..."

LOL! This. The struggle will be real. But I can tell you, as someone who has grown up in a very con servative society as a young child, the children do learn restraint, and a lot of it. And it won't be a surprise if Hwan glues a proverbial arm between him and Jay-Yi to keep things in perspective, but no matter how modern her outlook is, she would be equally conservative as far as physical intimacy goes (ribbon scene is quite telling in that respect, no amount of love would have her breach the decorum of her relationship with Hwan. To note, she does everything outragous that a man is allowed do, but never anything remotely inapprorpiate that a woman would do).

@minniegupta1, but she didn't really have a lot of opportunities to do anything inappropriate for female mainly because she's been acting a man 24/7 for months now. Hwan is one among big crowd of 2 people who knew her real identity all along and we've already concluded that she barely allowed herself anything girly around him out for reasons - up until this point, that is. Now that she accepted the "harsh" reality and her desire for him to do the same like yesterday preferably she won't sit still for long. Like why she even wants him to get it so desperately if she's not planning to do anything of substance about their MUTUAL feelings when he eventually does? And why was her infamous dating bucket list even included in the show in such a detailed manner coupled with Hwan's "no way in hell" reactions to every single point of it if not as foreshadowing of things to come?

I think ribbon scene confused us all too much in too many ways. Truth is that she didn't want a ribbon from either Hwan or Sung On specifically - she JUST wanted a damned pretty thing because she was missing her female identity despite all that bravado about "life as a (fake) eunuch is perfect", and it just happened that Sung On bought it for her and Hwan caught her red-handed at that. So she had to quickly improvise some fitting excuse why things turned out this way, but failed miserably and couldn't come up with anything better than "how could i ask YOU of that?". If accepting any gift more meaningful than yet another snack from Hwan is THIS too much for her, why was she all giddy and expectant over the bracelet? She wants that token of whatever is going on between them, meaning she wants THINGS from Hwan potentially, not just words or longing stares. Specific extent of those things is debatable, that I agree.

I have wondered about that opressiveness. The narative in any case was really strict, but we all know that sexuality repressed only leads to excesses, witness the number of present day politicians touting their virtues only to be revealed to be total pervs.
Makes me wonder what Hwan is up to whilst taking a (fully clothed cuz Joseon) bath and simultaneously thinking about Yj. Sorry 😉

@decraew, I think Joseon's morals and customs were the strictest ever in Korean history due to heavy Confucianism. Before that it was comparatively lax Buddhism ruling era - women had far more rights, less sexual restrictions to everyone, divorces were a thing, even fashion allowed flowing locks and some skin shown.

Ofc that doesn't mean Joseon was as pure and austere as it tried to present itself, far from it. Even in drama it's kinda shown by evil officials spending half of their screentime at brothel's party table (best ever place for scheming apparently). Or the fact that ML's grandma wasn't even a concubine but some random palace maid his grandpa had short fun with. So you're right, there was a lot of hypocrisy going around those supposed restrictions.

We've seen Hwan bathing once (Ep1 or 2), and he actually does that naked, bless him! About "thinking of Jaeyi" part, well, I don't even know, he's SO annoyingly stuffy about anything sensual. Maybe he just switched to ice baths since his crush developed instead of approaching the issue logically))) I did notice that his nightmares apparently calmed down big time but he still broods every other night with little to no sleep...

@gikata:
"he's SO annoyingly stuffy about anything sensual"

Switched to Ice-bath hahaha!

It would be so much fun to watch having Jay-yi force him to her infamous 'dating' playbook lol!

@minniegupta1, they've already held hands and hugged, so only the high level quests left, I'm afraid. His body may be ready, but his brains are surely not)))

I think the poison gets combined with food and is deadly. The trailer showed a [SPOILER].

That's who the jade ring that the new character of would be crown pricess has is suspect.

@minniegupta1, we're not thinking about that ring ALSO having poison stored inside, are we?

I find everything about the situation sus, honestly. King says he needs to marry Hwan asap and ministers are all "too bad we only have sons, what to do?" and then HE has to remind Han of the very existence of his pretty and age appropriate niece somehow? What? Girl herself is also weird, I just can't pinpoint what exactly bothers me here... Tho maybe it's just a result of crash course of how to marry CP forced on her suddenly after years of quiet province life. And then [SPOILER] in preview... This drama's paranoia mood is contagious, now I'm even doubting totally normal desire of a girl to know who she's gonna marry!

About the letter thing though, it made complete sense to me. Jay-Yi was in a difficult spot as a conduit. She could not keep it right on top because that's where everyone keeps them anyway, so too obvious. She would have to hide them well. It would have been awkward for her to fumble with her clothing to get the letters out - both for the royal gurad as well as the seargent, who didn't know of her gender, never mind it would be equally if not more embarrassing for her to shove it inside her clothes in front of the Crown Prince in that kind of an intimate setting they had been thrown into. The lack of privacy she actually has is sad. I wonder how she has dealt with her periods. It would have been nice to see something on those lines as well (I loved how they showed that in Nevertheless).

Right on top as in upper folds of her tunic.

I was thinking during the scene that she should've hide it in her hat - it's not transparent, seems sturdy and there is quite a bit of hollow space to fit a small piece of paper.

Hwan's traffic stopping beauty being a hurdle during field missions had me rolling))) Should've give him that dark cloth face mask that every other ninja in the show seems strategically sporting. Then again, even that wouldn't help with hiding his remarkable physique and Them Eyes. Sometimes I wonder if there's a small breeze happening every time Hyungsik blinks...

Re: periods - that's hardly discussed even in modern dramas, let alone sageuks. She still has that first aid kit Hwan used to treat her head injury early on, right? I suppose there was some clean soft fabric for wound dressing in it that she could use. And I still stand on that there HAS to be a small bathroom hidden somewhere in that Batcave - or very nearby the library - for original owner's convenience.

@gikata On mobile so I don’t know how to do quotes, but this:
“Sometimes I wonder if there's a small breeze happening every time Hyungsik blinks...”

I feel like this is such a weird thing for me to be attracted to, but Hyungsik’s blinks are like my kryptonite. He has that double set of thick lashes and those pensive, almost droopy eyes, so when he blinks, it’s like, woosh to my heart haha. Park Seo Joon said it best during Hwarang promo days, “his eyes stir up our protective instinct.” Maybe not just protective instinct lol, but what a naturally sweet gaze. No wonder he was so well loved as a kid. I’m sure he got away with everything. The Koreans have it right describing them as honey dripping eyes. Anyways, yeah, no way Hyungsik could be effectively disguised if you can see his unique eyes…

@happyokaytales, Hyungsik's blinks are really mesmerizing, hardly anything weird about it at all. Totally disagree with PSJ's take on the matter though - what protective instinct, dude? It's US who have to be protected from those hypnotic eyes, not vice versa!

I’m sure he got away with everything.

I bet he still does)))

At the risk of spoiling the magic, I watched the grass-running scene closely both because it was marvelously beautiful and because I was wondering how the actors handled running fast and almost blindly through it, and I did see a few moments where a section of trampled grass was visible ahead of them (one is at 34:26). It was mostly hidden by using a lower or oblique camera angle or framing the actors from the waist up. The aerial shots with untrampled grass ahead of them may be of stunt actors, and they could have run parts of the path twice, perhaps slowly first and full-speed once the trampled path was established, and combined sections of footage to make it look like all one uninterrupted run. Nonetheless, I admire their (and maybe their stunt doubles’) fortitude - one foot wrong, a sprained ankle, and you’re done filming for quite a while, so it took both guts and athletic ability.

@Elinor,
How about that epic scene where guys plunged into the grass after Jaeyi's warning shout - in the opposite directions, but perfectly synchronized? Like alerted wild rabbits lol)))

@elinor far from spoiling anything, I love figuring out the workings behind “movie magic”— in a world of overused CGI making everything look increasingly stale, I am so delighted whenever a movie uses practical effects and I get to see the old fashioned camera tricks and cleverness used by the filmmakers through bts vids.

That's the thing with genius fictional characters - they can never be smarter than the person who wrote them, and here writer is clearly limited with both source material and her own inexperience in mystery genre.

Yes, she’s treading pretty close to spunky-smart-girl-falls-in-love-and-becomes-stupid territory *side eyes drama*

I've noticed that he's not prudish at all in his business mode. Like when he treated her wounds or had to catch her mid-fall - man knows how to stay focused if he absolutely needs to. And he's also WAY more confident in those moments, calmly doing his thing no matter what. Only in less dire situations his usual jumpiness returns - but usually with vengeance lol. So I'll assume that if he really has to sacrifice some proprieties to make sure Jaeyi's yet another wound is decently treated, he'd do it in a heartbeat like a true pro. And then head-desk himself into brain trauma to forget what he just saw and felt once job's done and he's back in his room alone with all the embarrassment)))

@gikata: 'Head-desk himself to head trauma'...hahaha! You are hilarious.

So far though he has not had to treat her anywhere below her neck. Even when she was out for a day, he never even tried to see if she was hurt elsewhere, waiting for her to come around to ask if she was hurt elsewhere. Was it just me or did I notice a flash of momentary panic in Jay-yi's eyes before she realized her modesty wasn't breached?

Well, he cheekily ordered her to strip - for arm wound treatment - when they just met, remember? Granted he was quite in troll mood back then and didn't actually mean what he said. So if she gets a VISIBLE injury somewhere else that needs his help NOW, I believe he won't hesitate much - after giving her formal warning/apology probably. Undressing her for fully body check up just in case is another thing)))

Hmm... it was a long time ago, I think I need to rewatch the scene. Maybe you're right. It's possible she was worried more about her cover than modesty though. She didn't know about his medical knowledge before that and likely thought he called a doctor.

"Well, he cheekily ordered her to strip"...that was such an awful moment, it was jolting, and to be honest, highlighting a special low point in Hwan's sad life as a terrified, lonely and angry prince....on the hindsight such an out of character thing to say - no wonder he immediately went back on it lol! Now knowing his character graph he probably was mortified himself.

Yes, that scene is surely in Top10 things he regrets to this day. Too bad writer didn't allow Jaeyi to treat his arrow wound herself and casually remind him how the tables turned while at it. What a missed opportunity all the way!

Actually hahaha! Come to think of it, she has so far told him:
1) Sung on is hotter
2) His heart is as small as soy sauce plate
3) He looks like a bird's nest on a full moon's night.
4) Army will win (Polo match)

Poor guys' self esteem must have taken a severe beating.

I've been think about how much of his hesitance and overall back and forth comes from their unfortunate circumstances and how much it's just him being shy, inexperienced and slow pace-wise. Like if her family didn't die and she was perfectly single, what would he do? And how? I assume Joseon nobles didn't exactly have gentlemen's guide for courting process aside of "tell your parents and hope they'll approve and start arranging the wedding", plus he's a CP so it's a whole lot of additional baggage of customs. But he'd still try, right? He obviously wants to express his feelings, not just admire her from afar. From what we've seen he's into gifts (and how! dude is itching to shower her with presents), confessions and romantic walks. Not so much more daring stuff tho, but maybe he'd be bolder if nothing held him back. She seems to naturally inspire him into misbehaving)))

It does seem any kind of intimacy between couples was looked down upon, leave alone having a match where the couples knew each other, especially in terms of Crown Prince.

You are right, him being a Crown Prince also is weighing him somewhere. He can't live without her, and yet he can't let her come near her.

On a side note, I absolutely loved how he has complete trust in her abilities. The way he treated her as an equal when they were fighting off the assasins was remarkable. He worries about her but his amused expression at how she had plummeted the eunuchs was priceless. That's my personal favorite part of the show.

Another thing is, I feel the whole 'I should send you away' possibly stemmed from his true fear of her getting hurt, but also the fact that he might have gotten scared at the possibly of her reciprocity of his own feelings because of the way she smiles at his worry. I watched it again - the way he says - "you should have never come to me"- summed up his helplessness of being deep into her and not being able to do anything about it.

Sigh!