Exclusive Interview
‘The Remarried Empress’: Sovieshu & Rashta’s Relationship, Explained by Ju Ji-hoon & Lee Se-young
The Remarried Empress sets up a complicated love square when Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Ji-hoon) falls instantly for runaway slave Rashta (Lee Se-young), betraying his wife Navier (Shin Min-a). Sovieshu claims that Rashta is the first woman to ever make his heart “flutter,” and it doesn’t take long for him to become absolutely devoted to her.
Ju explained why his character was drawn so quickly to Rashta after their first meeting. “I think Rashta represents many firsts for Sovieshu,” he told Swooon. “Even before becoming emperor, he would have lived a very strict, predetermined life. And since an emperor is almost never exposed to danger, he meets this woman through an accidental, chance encounter.”
While out on a hunting trip, Sovieshu encounters Rashta being attacked by assassins. Her master put a bounty on her head after she escaped. “Then, by his own choice, for reasons he may not fully know himself, perhaps through some kind of chemistry, he brings her into the palace. It’s the first time he’s taking care of someone with his own hands,” Ju added. “I think that may be where his interest began.”
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It was love at first sight for Rashta when Sovieshu swooped in like “a lifeline sent from heaven,” Lee explained. “He’s her savior: the one who could get her out of there, the one who rescued her, and the only person she could lean on. So she had no choice but to trust and depend on him all the more,” she noted.
As for whether Rashta is in love with Sovieshu as a person or for what he can offer her, Lee thinks you can’t completely separate the two. “Either way, he’s a very attractive emperor, even from our point of view. And once Rashta gets a taste of power, I don’t think she’d want to let go of what she has in her hands,” she said.
Rashta sees that power in action when Sovieshu dismisses his wife’s concerns for her, but at the start of the season, Rashta seems to be approaching her new position innocently. When she meets Navier for the first time in Episode 3, she naïvely suggests they become something like sisters.
According to Lee, Rashta isn’t putting on a front. “I think Rashta starts out as that innocent a character,” Lee confirmed, hinting that maybe her character won’t remain that way was the season progresses.
The Remarried Empress, Season 1, Episodes 1-4, Streaming Now, Hulu & Disney+
The Remarried Empress, Season 1, New Episodes Wednesdays, Hulu & Disney+
