Shin Chae-kyeong : Yoon Eun-hae
An art major at an art high school who, one day, suddenly becomes the queen.She is an active girl who goes around wearing her training pants inside her school uniform skirt and enjoys sketching scenes with a comic-like imagination. Although she is easily befriended by anyone regardless of age and doesn’t make enemies, once she starts disliking something she continues to do so. After she becomes queen she is disappointed that Kwon Tae-byeong is in fact the Crown Prince Shin; a young heartthrob who fights with her endlessly over everyday issues. However, her affectionate feelings toward Shin grow, once she starts living inside the palace and learns of the boredom and loneliness he experiences. At the same time, she is confused by the feelings she has toward Yool, whom she meets after she has already decided to get married to Shin.Chae-kyeong quickly and profoundly observes the hidden desires and secrets of power found inside of the elegant palace better than anyone else. She becomes a central character that changes not only the palace itself but also all the other characters in the palace.
Lee Shin :Joo Ji-hoon
The one and only Crown Prince of the Republic of Korea; the young man who will inherit the throne. He possesses the intelligence and appearance of the son of a bright king and a beautiful queen. Although he is irritated by the strict rules and dull life inside the palace and feels bored with his life, he has an intense and ongoing struggle with his own identity. Repelled by the fact that he has to spend his entire life as king inside the palace, he dreams of escape. When he starts learning what it means to be alive by looking at Queen Chae-kyeong, whom he marries without feelings of love, he gradually gains strength in life and starts to feel love towards her. Meanwhile, he plays love games with Hyo-rin, his ex-lover, and confronts Yool, his rival, at every turn.Shin is a “nowhere man” who believes that there is no place for him; neither inside the palace nor anywhere else in the world.
Lee Yool : Kim Jeong-hoon
Sir Eui-sung; second-in-line in succession to the throne.Having spent most of his life abroad, he feels less aversion towards the palace than Shin, and due to his innate optimistic character, intelligence, and down-to-earth attitude, everyone loves him. While Shin is straightforward in his behavior, Yool thoughtfully and philosophically considers his actions. He feels deep affection and sympathy toward his mother, who had a difficult time in raising him alone, and therefore understands his mother’s avarice toward power; he himself slowly begins to express interest in the throne.Yool develops an interest in Chae-kyeong when he first meets her as he transfers to a private school. He grows to love her so much that he considers the crown for the first time when he learns that the marriage promise of the king concerns the ‘grandson who will be crowned’ among the two grandsons of the king.Although he keeps his distance from Hyo-rin, who approaches him knowing that he’s ranked second in succession to the throne, he gets to understand her pure desire and experiences another change in feelings in his relationship with her. Like a plant absorbing water, he gets involved in the situation of regal authority and in Hyo-rin, naturally falling in love with her and becoming the rival for the one-and-only successor to the crown.
Min Hyo-rin : Song Ji-hyo
She is a perfectionist who has everything, including good looks, money, and brains. Love-calls from the royal household asking her to be the daughter-in-law are endlessly pouring in. Her interest in becoming the empress of the Republic of Korea and making Shin her own, grows. However, too suddenly she awakens from her dream of becoming the queen when Shin, her lover, has an arranged marriage with Chae-kyeong. She is hostile toward Chae-kyeong; the young woman who is her worst enemy, having stolen her dreams, and constantly attempts to recover her self-esteem and win over Shin’s love. Also, when she approaches Yool, ranked second in succession, and sees the potential of realizing her ambitions, she is perplexed by the unexpected change in emotions she experiences. A character that provides an important change in the triangular and quadrilateral relationship composed of Chae-kyeong, Shin and Yool. She’s an intelligent woman who knows to sacrifice something small for a realistic gain. Her efforts at obtaining her dreams and goals are purer and more passionate than anyone else’s.
Starring