Well, it turns out the suspicious-looking guy from last week's cliffhanger isn't an assassin, secret mastermind, or evil noble plotting world domination.

He's just a flirt.

A flirt with an extremely punchable face.

Honestly, I still don't entirely trust him, but for now he seems more interested in causing romantic misunderstandings than political disasters.

This episode mostly focuses on the aftermath of the assassination attempt. Security around Maria gets tightened, the investigation continues, and everyone tries to figure out who was behind everything. Despite that setup, the episode never feels particularly tense. Instead, it leans heavily into what this show does best: letting its characters be adorable.

The queen remains one of my favorite side characters. Every episode she seems to find a new reason to become a bigger Maria fan, and I'm completely here for it. Watching a queen completely lose her composure whenever Maria is involved never stops being funny.

We also get a flashback showing Maria's childhood and her relationship with her father. It's not a huge emotional gut punch or anything, but it adds some nice context to why Maria ended up the way she did. The contrast between her current confidence and the way her family situation changed after her younger brother was born gives her character a little more depth.

Of course, the real stars of the episode are still Maria and Renato. These two continue to be ridiculously cute together. Renato watching Maria train, the casual flirting, and the public handholding all felt like the show reminding viewers that yes, these two are very much into each other.

And then the episode ends by separating them.

As a precaution, Maria heads back to her home kingdom while the investigation continues, which means next episode is probably going to bring family drama back into the spotlight. Judging from the preview, we're also getting more punching.

Which is always a good thing.

Final Verdict: Not a huge plot-heavy episode, but a very enjoyable one. The cast continues to be incredibly likable, the romance remains cute, and the story does a solid job setting up what's likely to be the next major arc.