Ten concubines, only one seat for the Empress.
About
《Geumryun》
Ten women, only one seat for the Empress
On the day the late king died suddenly, Guest was only three years old.
To save the only direct blood relative of the royal family and maintain the throne, the ministers brought one woman into the palace every time a national crisis struck.
A betrothed who held the loyalty of the Northern Army. A candidate for the main palace who ran the court on behalf of the young king. A palace companion who hid the king's weaknesses. A daughter of a merchant guild who took on the royal family's debts. A foreign princess who ended a war with her own status.
From the physician who saved the king's life, the daughter of a traitor who became the face of a merciful monarch, the chronicler who kept the legitimacy of the throne, the musician who first taught the king desire, to the political partner who turned a puppet into a real monarch.
These women were already supporting the throne long before they became concubines.
And now that Guest, having turned twenty, has ended the long regency and begun direct rule, all ten have been officially invested as concubines.
There is only one seat left.
It is the seat of the Empress, who will rule the inner palace, determine the royal succession, and leave her name beside the completed king.
"We made Your Majesty the King." "Then, who should stand by the side of the king who is now complete?"
Old betrothals and hidden grudges, unpaid debts and political merits all demand their price at once.
Whom will you love? To whom will you entrust power? And with whom will you stand before the Golden Wheel to continue the next bloodline of the royal family?
All ten women believe they must be the one chosen.
Now, the person who must decide is Guest.
✦ Play Tips
- The gender of Guest can be set freely. A male monarch continues the succession with a female concubine in the usual way, while a female monarch can form a Blood Bond with a chosen female concubine.
- All ten concubines have independent goals and factions. Even if not favored, their respective politics and relationships continue to move.
- Whom you call frequently, bestow gifts upon, and whose requests you grant become public political signals.
- You can build relationships by trusting or doubting the concubines' words, taking sides, or utilizing them. Hidden pasts and truths are revealed through conversation and investigation.
- The Empress does not necessarily go to the one with the highest rank or the oldest betrothal.
- You can be faithful to one person, or adjust the balance of power by forming relationships with several people.
- Commands have consequences. Even if you choose love, politics moves; even if you choose politics, someone gets hurt.
Between the merit of protecting the throne and the heart that loved you, the choice of what to pick belongs solely to Your Majesty.
Characters
Sourcebook
Karshan World Setting (Common)
Common to 《Golden Wheel》 and 《White Palace》 Systems for State, Royal Authority, Royalty, Nobility, Imperial Palace, Concubine Ranks, Consummation, and Enrollment
Karshan Worldview Common 2
Common to 《Golden Wheel》 and 《White Palace》 Regency remnants, civil officials, military, royal relatives, merchant guilds, diplomatic forces, and crisis management in the first year of direct rule.
Karshan World Setting Common 3
Common to 《Golden Wheel》 and 《White Palace》 User progress log covering Royal Orders, Entry/Exit, Searches, Rumors, Consummation, Pregnancy, Deposition, Treason, etc.
《Golden Ring》 Exclusive Lorebook
Exclusive to the 《Golden Ring》 worldline
Karshan World Setting Common 4
Common to 《Golden Wheel》 and 《White Palace》 Titles and speech patterns used in actual dialogue, and the precise spatial layout of Ryunjeong Palace.
Intro
When the late king died, Guest was three years old.
Too young to sit on the throne, yet of a bloodline too precious to step down from it. Under the pretext of protecting the only direct heir remaining in the royal family, the Regency Council took charge of state affairs, and the powerful clans, border military, royal kin, and grand merchant guilds each sent someone to the palace to support the throne.
Some were betrothed, some were hostages. Some were companions to the young monarch, and some entered Geumryun under the names of physician, chronicler, assistant, and confidant.
They held no official rank as concubines. Instead, their freedom to marry outside the palace, their path to public office, and their right to become heirs to their families vanished.
Seventeen years passed in that manner.
Today, Guest has turned twenty.
In the main hall where the coming-of-age ceremony ended, the scent of unburnt incense and the cold air of melting snow lingered together. Below the high jade throne lay the state seal and the decree of direct rule, and on a step lower, ten investment decrees were spread out side by side.
The final condition demanded by the Regency Council in exchange for returning royal power.
That all ten people staying in Geumryun be invested as official concubines.
As Guest pressed the state seal, a red stamp was marked on the ten names. They were no longer betrothed, hostages, collateral, or assistants. They became concubines of the same monarch on the same day, yet none of them stood in that position for the same reason.
Some had entered in their youth and waited until frost settled on their hair; some had lost the country they were to return to. Someone had monitored Guest, and someone else had taken a blade in their stead. Someone held the secrets of the royal family, and another had entered the palace solely by Guest's choice.
As the investment ceremony ended, the ten people raised their heads in unison.
Behind them, the seat permitted only to the Empress remained vacant.
The Grand Chamberlain broke the silence and read the first request of the court since the start of direct rule.
"For the stability of royal power, please establish an Empress and determine the royal succession."
The ministers bowed their heads, and the newly invested concubines did not look at each other. Their gazes were directed toward only one seat.
The person who had been protected, monitored, and served as the reason for waiting for seventeen years.
The monarch who, for the first time, could now directly choose their own spouse.
From today, whose quarters Guest visited, whose hand they held, and whose request they granted was no private matter. A single favor could move military power, a single night's stay could change the power map of the court, and the investment of one person could destroy the futures of the other nine.
The doors of the main hall slowly closed.
With the ten concubines waiting, the first day of direct rule began.
Release Date 2026.08.15 / Last Updated 2026.08.15
