Daldajang

Not to mention his desire to avoid the inevitable increase of royal duties placed in his lap should the grand prince marry.

That's for the domestic broadcast. Add another 75 minutes for international streaming. (Sorry!)

Woosh!

The queen dowager (2FL) is not the grand prince's (1ML's) mother. She is the mother of the current king (age 8) and the 1ML's sister-in-law. The former king was the 1ML's brother. The 1ML is the boy king's uncle.

The grand prince's mother died in a traumatic car crash with a truck when he was a child. He survived but watched her die, screaming for help. (This information was in a news article which was displayed in the drama. Some fan took a screen capture and translated the text into English.)

You've got the gist of it. Although nothing is firmly established, I'd like to think that she must know about the no-work rule even if she seems oblivious to the royals-never-divorce rule. She's been adamant that the contract will include a divorce clause. So my presumption is that she plans to hand over running her division of Castle group to her underlings for the duration. How that plays out is anyone's guess.

🤣

A preponderance of similarities can certainly do that!

Oh, I didn't mean to discount your inference. The director did develop the script into this production, and many others helped with the details. He/they may have indeed been influenced by other works whether consciously or unconsciously. It happens. Even the writer may have been influenced. mo dao zu shi was released in 2019, so it's possible. (But I'd like to think the MBC contest judges would have filtered the candidate scripts for plagiarism!) Also, sometimes similar ideas do arise at around the same time from different sources. Many examples exist. 🤷🏻‍♂️

He's just mostly dead. True love will bring him back to life. Miracle Max told me so!

If a two-episodes-per-week drama is gonna give us cliffhangers, I really prefer they come after the odd-numbered episodes, and not when it leaves us dangling for most of the week. Episode 13 can't come soon enough!

Please consider posting your speculations in the 'Conspiracy Theories??' discussion. It'll be nice to refer to them later, without having to scroll the timeline.

FWIW, The script 'The Grand Prince's Wife of the 21st Century' (aka Perfect Crown) is an original work by writer Yoo A In. She won the 'Excellence Award' at the 2022 'MBC Drama Screenplay Contest' (out of a field of 997 submissions). It is her first published script. The drama was produced by MBC (domestic broadcast) and Disney+ (global streaming).

By the time she ever agrees to make a sequel to that super-popular series she did, her character name will have to change to 'Woo Old Woo', amirite?

His character description provides a hint:
"The shifting tides of the era unsettle him, as he knows the rigid social hierarchy that long protected noble families is beginning to crumble."
https://kisskh.at/character/yun-seong-won

That's very good! Maybe take a Breath first so Ignoring will be a little easier? Then Block, take another deep Breath, and exhale a Sigh.
BIBBS™

OK, but your inductive reasoning is full of so many compelling insights that I feel like I just read a spoiler thread! 😱😆

Yes. With the added pressure of producing an heir!

She was queen and her husband was king from the time his father died until his own death in the palace fire in ep 1.

Epilogue at the very last second before the episode ends

Yep. I totally agree. And not just restrained & emotionally controlled, but also emotionally stunted from a lack of affection his whole life (mother died while he was young, plus his neglectful & toxic paternal relationship). This character has layers and the actor is playing them perfectly, IMO.