The episode opens with another flashback to the Joseon era, and things immediately feel darker.
Dan-sim is still planning revenge after being bullied in the palace, but before anything else can happen, assassins suddenly attack Prince Cheongheon, aka past Se-gye. One assassin dies on the spot while the other escapes. During the chaos, Se-gye notices Dan-sim nearby and instantly suspects her.
Honestly, the misunderstanding made sense. She appeared at the worst possible moment.
But the tension softens quickly once they recognize each other. Dan-sim thanks him for saving her, and for a second, the scene feels surprisingly warm. She asks for his name, but he leaves before answering because he’s too busy chasing the assassin.
It’s a short scene, but it matters. You can already feel the emotional connection forming between them in the past timeline.
Back in the present, Dan-sim spots Mun-do and instantly freaks out because she thinks he’s the King from Joseon. Her solution? She grabs Se-gye and hides her face against him.
Se-gye looks absolutely stunned while Mun-do just stands there amused. Honestly, his expression killed me. He looked like his brain completely stopped working.
Things get even messier when the TV station staff come looking for Dan-sim after her earlier outburst. To escape trouble, she pretends to faint. Se-gye reluctantly plays along and carries her out like a dramatic male lead in a romance movie.
The funniest part is that he clearly doesn’t understand why he keeps helping her.
Dan-sim then forces Se-gye to drive her home. Not only that, but she complains about motion sickness and orders him to drive slower. He’s annoyed the entire time, but he still listens.
That’s basically Se-gye’s personality now: grumbling while doing everything she wants.
At a gas station, he hesitates before buying medicine for her. It’s such a tiny moment, but it says a lot about him. He genuinely cares, even when he doesn’t want to admit it. Then Dan-sim disappears.
With his credit card.
I laughed harder than I should have at this scene because Se-gye looked one second away from losing his mind.
Meanwhile, Dan-sim learns more about Chail Group through a giant public screen and realizes Mun-do might be too dangerous. She decides she should stay away from Se-gye for her own safety.
Of course, that plan lasts about five minutes.
While Dan-sim causes chaos outside, Se-gye discovers a much bigger problem. Kaiserman Capital, the major investor behind Biojei, secretly belongs to Mun-do. Not only that, but there’s also a mole inside the company feeding Mun-do information. The tension between Se-gye and Mun-do suddenly becomes way more personal here. Mun-do isn’t just a rival. He enjoys tormenting Se-gye.
Apparently, this has been happening since childhood, which honestly explains a lot about Se-gye’s personality. Mun-do constantly pokes at him, manipulates situations, and tries to stay one step ahead. But Se-gye finally decides to fight back by using Kaiserman’s own money to launch Dynaestie.
That move actually surprised me. For someone who spends most of the episode flustered around Dan-sim, Se-gye can still be pretty sharp when he wants to be.
One of the funniest parts of the episode happens at the street market.
Dan-sim realizes Se-gye’s card still works, so she goes shopping for sweets like a kid discovering treasure. The whole sequence feels light and ridiculous in the best way. Se-gye eventually tracks her down personally instead of reporting the card stolen. That says everything. He’s more interested in checking on her than getting his card back.
Then comes the restaurant scene, which honestly carried the entire episode for me.
Dan-sim assumes Se-gye keeps showing up because he’s worried about her. Se-gye denies it every single time, but his face says otherwise. The two end up eating together at a beef restaurant where Se-gye cooks the meat while complaining nonstop. Their chemistry here feels way more natural than before. The arguing doesn’t feel forced anymore, it actually feels playful.
They even argue about English words like “romance,” which becomes important later. Se-gye still thinks Dan-sim is just an actress deeply committed to her “Joseon woman” method acting.
Meanwhile, Dan-sim starts realizing Se-gye might actually be a decent person underneath all the irritation.
The drama really leans into comedy after this, and honestly, it works.
Se-gye drives home while love songs play on the radio, and suddenly he starts seeing Dan-sim everywhere in his imagination. The poor man looks genuinely stressed by his own feelings.
I love that the show doesn’t try to make him cool here. He’s awkward, confused, embarrassed, and completely losing control.
Meanwhile, Dan-sim starts thinking about their Joseon memories too.
In another flashback, she becomes Prince Cheongheon’s court lady despite rumors about his frightening appearance and damaged eye. Unlike everyone else, she isn’t afraid of him.
The emotional contrast between past and present works surprisingly well. In the past, their relationship feels soft and tragic. In the present, it’s chaotic and comedic. And somehow both versions are equally entertaining.
One of the biggest moments in the episode comes when Se-gye finally realizes Dan-sim is Shin Seo-ri. After dreaming about the past, he wakes up emotional and immediately connects the dots. Naturally, he talks to his psychiatrist friend Jeong-hyeon, who casually suggests he might be in love.
Se-gye reacts exactly how you’d expect: complete denial. But honestly, nobody is buying his excuses anymore. Not even his assistant.
The mall sequence ended up being way more emotional than I expected.
While working another part-time job, Dan-sim watches Ji-hyo overact in a historical drama and immediately recreates the scene properly. The crowd loves it because, well… she literally lived through Joseon history. Then she watches young Seo-ri acting on TV and becomes genuinely moved by the performance.
This moment stood out to me because it’s the first time Dan-sim really understands the emotional power of acting. She decides she wants to continue Seo-ri’s dream.
It’s actually a sweet turning point for her character.
Meanwhile, Biojei’s board debates who should become Dynaestie’s spokesperson. Half the board supports Ji-hyo. Mun-do’s side pushes for Seo-ri instead, mainly to create problems for Se-gye. Ironically, Se-gye secretly wants Seo-ri too.
When the final vote goes in her favor, he looks ridiculously happy. It’s honestly adorable watching him fail to hide his excitement. But of course, nothing goes smoothly.
Seo-ri’s agency refuses to release her contract because CEO Hong wants Ji-hyo to get the opportunity instead.
Then everything explodes at once.
Dan-sim arrives at Biojei, runs into Ji-hyo and CEO Hong, and immediately gets dragged into a physical confrontation. By the time Se-gye arrives, Dan-sim already has visible marks on her face. And this is where Se-gye fully transforms into romantic male lead mode. Without hesitation, he announces that his new entertainment agency will represent Kang.
The way he grabs her hand and confidently stands beside her felt straight out of a classic K-drama scene. Even Dan-sim gets butterflies.
Honestly? Same.
The episode closes with another Joseon flashback revealing that the King intentionally assigned Dan-sim to Prince Cheongheon as part of a trap. And in the present, Mun-do plans to use Seo-ri against Se-gye in exactly the same way.
That parallel was actually really clever.
It makes the reincarnation storyline feel more connected instead of just existing for aesthetic flashbacks.
Episode 3 is probably the point where My Royal Nemesis finally clicked for me.
The comedy feels sharper, the romance feels more natural, and the pacing moves much faster now. The biggest improvement is definitely Se-gye and Dan-sim’s chemistry. Their constant bickering finally feels fun instead of repetitive.
And honestly, Im Ji-yeon completely steals every scene. The way she switches between innocent palace maid energy and chaotic modern-day confusion is genuinely impressive.
Meanwhile, Heo Nam-jun shines most when Se-gye is being awkward and jealous instead of cold and serious.
This episode also made it painfully obvious that Se-gye is falling first. And he is absolutely suffering because of it.
Rating: 8.5/10
Messy, funny, unexpectedly sweet, and finally embracing its chaotic romance energy in the best way possible.
