(NEW WIP) The Cruel Palace (Korean inspired court intrigue game) (Prologue and Chap 1 Part 1)

Being born into a noble family is a blessing to most. For you, it became a sentence.

When false accusations threaten to destroy your family, you’re forced into a dangerous decision: enter the royal palace as a concubine to prove your family’s loyalty and protect their name. But life behind palace walls is nothing like the noble life you knew. It’s a world ruled by secrets, schemes, and power plays—where trust is rare, and betrayal is everywhere.

As the child of a respected civil official, your fate was supposed to be different. Now, you’re caught in the middle of court politics, royal jealousy, and the lingering scandal left behind by your mother. The only way to survive is to play the game and win.

Will you rise through the ranks and gain the Emperor’s favour? Or will you lose yourself in the cruelty of palace life?

Your choices will decide your future, your family’s honour, and the legacy you leave behind.

Key Features:

  • Play as male or female, and shape how the world sees you—from your looks to your personality.
  • Make choices that matter—every decision affects your future and your family’s fate.
  • Explore life in the royal palace, filled with secrets, lies, and unexpected allies.
  • Build or break relationships with other concubines, servants, nobles, and even the Emperor.
  • Choose who you trust—and who you love—romance the Emperor, a fellow concubine, a sharp maidservant, or a rising military officer.
  • Balance duty and desire—stay loyal to your family, or chase your own path to power.
  • Uncover the truth behind your family’s downfall and your mother’s scandal.

DEMO Approx 11k words TUMBLR

Inhale Exhale Hello, its me… again haha. This is like my 2nd if and I’d think that my writing has improved a lot.

I abandoned this IF like 2 years ago and just recently decided to try re-writing it so… enjoy. ig

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Palace intrigue you say???

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@moderators pls can i edit my post

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No problem, that’s been made a wiki now so you should be able to edit it now.

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Was there male concubine through not sure how it will work

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I love this, the intrigue, the characters, the siblings relationship. So, so good :heart_eyes:
I’m looking forward to more :heart:

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Wow! That’s really good, I like it so far. I almost didn’t notice the demo ending. Can’t wait for the next one! And is there a mistake for the stats? Because to see the personality stats, you have to see the skill stats first. Also is Yeon an RO? Anyway, thank you and take care of yourself! <3

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Wait, wasn’t there a another story here that was based on invent Korea and the MC becoming a concubine?

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Nvm, just saw the author saying it’s the 2nd time, so this is a rewrite?

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We’re getting more Korean inspired WIP lately.

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yupp

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yes, yeon is an ro and i’ll check out the thing with the stats

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i’ll make it work

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I like this so far! The wording and pacing is good. The story is interesting.

I’ve played other demos for a similar concept, but none of them have progressed very far.

Yeon seems like a good RO option, but there aren’t enough details to make out a distinct personality. I just know Yeon is a servant.

The concept of the MC being able to be yandere is very different. Not sure if it’s something I’d do a playthrough of personally, but the more choice in a choicescript game the better. I have seen a handful of yandere-like ros but never seen a clear choice on the MCs behalf.

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Hope this finish and not stop halfway

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Me too bro, me too. I hope I don’t get bored with this IF.

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This was a fun play :growing_heart: hoping for more soon!

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The fact that we can play as the yandere is wonderful and I thank you for that option. Looking forward to seeing where this goes!

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Same. Court intrigue IF stories seem to be cursed in that regard.