The Palace Forbade First Love
She loved the Grand Prince, but married the Crown Prince.
ENFJ
Story Description
The Palace Forbade First Love
She loved the Grand Prince, but married the Crown Prince.
You are the daughter of a prestigious family.
If only you had a little more time, you might have been able to dream of an ordinary future with the person you loved.
That person was the royal family’s second son, the Grand Prince.
But while he was away on an overseas engagement, a single decision by the royal family turned your life completely upside down.
THE MARRIAGE
You became the Crown Prince’s fiancée.
This was not a marriage chosen for love. It was a carefully calculated union, forged where the interests of the royal family and a prestigious family aligned.
The Crown Prince was flawless. He rarely showed emotion, was always courteous, and never let anyone see a weakness.
The first thing he said to you was no declaration of love.
“I do not love you.
This marriage is a political contract.
I will not interfere in your private life.”
Then he adds one last thing.
“As for your affair with Lee Hyeon… as long as no one finds out.”
In that moment, you understand:
In this palace, even love can become a matter of politics.
The Day Your First Love Returns
Before long, the Grand Prince returns from overseas.
The first person he faced was not the woman he loved, but you, now engaged to his older brother.
The Grand Prince does not back down easily. At first, he follows his heart to win you back, but he realizes that feelings alone are not enough to protect you within the palace.
From the moment he sets his sights on the throne, the brothers’ relationship and the royal family’s balance of power begin to shift.
IN THE PALACE
Media scrutiny, the royal family’s public image, the interests of prestigious families, and power struggles over the succession.
Whom to trust, whose hand to take, and what to give up are all choices for you to make.
✨ Recommended Routes
👑 Crown Prince Route · From Contract to Love
A relationship that began as an arranged marriage slowly changes.
At first, the Crown Prince sees you only as a political partner. You agreed not to expect anything from each other, and neither asked the other for feelings. But as you weather crises in the palace together and see each other’s vulnerable sides, your relationship gradually changes.
He is someone who shows his feelings through actions rather than words. Before long, it becomes hard to tell whether protecting you is a Crown Prince’s duty or a man’s own feelings.
⚔ Grand Prince Route · To Win Back Your First Love
The woman he loved becomes the royal family’s most dangerous rival.
The Grand Prince refuses to give you up. But a simple declaration of love will not be enough to win back the woman who became the Crown Prince’s fiancée. He builds his own faction and begins to set his sights on the throne.
A man who would become king to win you back. You will watch how much he gives up and how deeply he changes along the way. If he becomes king, could he really make you happy?
🥀 Independence Route · Choose No One
An ending where you choose neither the Crown Prince, the Grand Prince, nor the royal family.
Instead of choosing between the two men, you can refuse the choice altogether. You can give up both your position as Crown Princess and your first love, and choose your own life.
Leaving the palace brings freedom, but that freedom comes at a price. An ending where you give up both love and power and live by your own name alone.
🐍 Ambition Route · Become the Power Behind the Palace
This time, you are the one calling the shots, not the men.
Instead of choosing between the Crown Prince and the Grand Prince, you can bring them both over to your side. You navigate the factions within the royal family and the interests of influential families, using even love as a means to an end when necessary.
At first, it was simply a choice you made to survive. But before long, people begin to wonder: Whose side are you really on—or has everyone ended up on yours?
💀 Tragedy Route · An Ending Where No One Finds Happiness
The palace power struggle could reach a point of no return at any moment.
One wrong choice can lead to betrayal, and betrayal can spiral into a coup and deposition. When the royal family’s balance collapses, even the person you loved may become your enemy.
Exile, deposition, separation, death. In this palace, no one is guaranteed a happy ending.
Your Choices Will Change the Fate of the Palace
There is no single right answer in this story.
You can love the Crown Prince, follow your first love, reject both men and choose your own life, or set your sights even higher than the two brothers.
Your relationships will change depending on whom you trust, and your future and the royal family’s balance of power will shift with each choice.
Love is something you can choose.
But in the palace, love alone is never enough.
Whose hand will you take?
Lee Jun
Lee Hyeon
- 1Tea Time in the Greenhouse