The First Night With the Duke- (Final) Episodes 11-12

Time Stops, Truths Drop, and Arrows Fly

Episode 11 of The First Night With the Duke wastes no time picking up from the high-stakes cliffhanger. Yi-beon is ambushed at the border, and just as blades clash in an intense battle, back home, Sun-chaek stumbles upon the tiger trinket, the very same charm she once held in the modern world. The moment she touches it, a splitting headache hits, linking her pain to her real-world self. Something strange is happening, and Sun-chaek is starting to remember.

Yi-wool explains the trinket came from the shaman to “spice up” her boring life, and after another dizzying visit to the shaman, Sun-chaek learns the truth: the trinket was meant to change her world, but there’s a catch. Everything will vanish when the story ends.

Meanwhile, things spiral in the palace. Prince Lee-gyu is making moves behind the scenes, whispering into the king’s ear and literally poisoning him with incense. He’s playing the long game, scheming while everyone else mourns Yi-beon. A tearful scene unfolds as Sun-chaek returns home to find his staff in despair and hears the heartbreaking news that Yi-beon was killed. Refusing to believe it, she reads a letter he left behind, filled with love and gratitude. The montage of Yi-beon being taken prisoner as he fought against impossible odds will leave you gutted.

As Sun-chaek clings to hope, Lee-gyu keeps pushing. He manipulates the weakened king into abdicating the throne and then stuns the royal court by killing a minister who dares to object. In the middle of this chaos, he makes his move on Sun-chaek: marry him, or else. She’d rather die, and he doesn’t take rejection well. Cue the ultimate act of petty revenge, Sun-chaek and her entire family are arrested as traitors.

Just when Lee-gyu raises his sword for the final blow, time literally freezes. Sun-chaek wakes up in the modern world where even the story’s servers have shut down. There, she meets the original Sun-chaek from Joseon, and the two realize they switched lives thanks to the trinket. Enter the deity-slash-author of both worlds. Turns out, he let them rewrite the story, but now it’s up to them to fix the ending, and they only get three sentences.

Armed with the right words, Sun-chaek jumps back into the narrative and chaos resumes. A bee sting saves the day by distracting the executioner. She pleads with Lee-gyu, bringing up a forgotten childhood memory and begging him not to become the monster he hates. Her words land, just enough to shake him.

As Su-gyeom rallies scholars and even the Queen Mother begins to worry, Lee-gyu still clings to his obsession. He tries to force Sun-chaek to marry him, but she escapes. The chase leads to a standoff by the pond where Lee-gyu, sword raised, prepares to strike.

But just as the blade comes down, an arrow flies through the gates.

Everyone turns and there stands Yi-beon, very much alive.

The epilogue reveals that neither Sun-chaek nor Mo-eum chose to switch back. They’re staying in their new lives, ready to finish the story they started.

A Happy Ending Written in the Stars

The final chapter of The First Night With the Duke opens with a twist of fate. Just as Yi-beon’s life hangs in the balance, an eclipse darkens the battlefield. He seizes the moment, turns the tables on his enemies, and spares the enemy commander instead of taking revenge. Then, like the hero he is, he gallops home.

Back at the palace, Su-gyeom and the scholars launch a protest against Prince Lee-gyu’s coup. Tensions mount as Lee-gyu’s men surround them, but Yi-beon’s forces swoop in just in time. Reinforcements arrive, the scholars are protected, and Yi-beon heads straight into the storm.

Yi-beon defeats Lee-gyu and rescues Sun-chaek and her family, sending them home while he stays behind to finish what he started. The Heuksa Clan’s rebellion unravels quickly. With their leader captured, the remaining members are rounded up. Yi-beon clears the poisonous incense from the king’s chambers and is left to decide the fate of those who nearly tore the kingdom apart.

Lee-gyu refuses to admit guilt, even when a witness fingers him as the mastermind. That’s when the king himself steps in. In a surprising twist, he offers clemency to the rest of the Heuksa members if they confess. Faced with a way out, they turn on Lee-gyu one by one.

As the weight of betrayal sets in, Lee-gyu explodes. He accuses the king of murdering his family and sparks a chilling moment of confrontation. The king nearly takes Lee-gyu’s life, but Yi-beon stops him with a powerful plea to end the cycle of vengeance. The king relents. Lee-gyu is exiled, given a rare second chance. Yi-beon sees him off, and Sun-chaek delivers one final message from Mo-eum. But Lee-gyu walks away cold and unrepentant.

As for Lady Eun-ae, she makes one last attempt to flee. Hwa-seon intercepts her and has her thrown in prison. Sun-chaek visits her in a quiet moment of heartbreak. Eun-ae, still bitter, refuses to take responsibility. She blames Sun-chaek for stealing the spotlight and her story. With her family stripped of status and wealth, she fades into obscurity. Years later, Su-gyeom finds her again, now working at the orphanage. He chooses forgiveness. He even reconciles with his own father, deciding to build something better from the wreckage.

Yi-beon, having fulfilled his duty, lays down his sword and formally retires. He makes peace with the king, who offers yet another heartfelt apology. At last, Yi-beon turns his attention to what really matters: a life with Sun-chaek.

But Sun-chaek is hesitant. She fears that their wedding marks the end of the story. She believes that once they say "I do," the world they’ve built together will disappear. Yi-beon doesn’t believe her and presses on. The marriage rituals begin. Her family welcomes him warmly. Their wedding is joyful and bright, and in a charming surprise, Hwa-seon catches the bouquet. A potential romance with one of Sun-chaek’s brothers? We’ll take it.

And how does it all end?

With a happily ever after.

The story lives on as a spin-off, following Yi-beon and Sun-chaek’s married life. Years later, they’re surrounded by six adorable children. Meanwhile, in the modern world, Mo-eum gets her own fresh start, free to live her story however she chooses.

DramaZen's Opinion

What a finale! Episodes 11 and 12 delivered everything I wanted and more—emotional payoffs, high-stakes drama, and a final swoon-worthy rescue that made me cheer out loud. Seeing Yi-beon rise from the dead (well, almost) and ride back like a one-man army was peak romance-fantasy perfection. I loved how Sun-chaek never gave up on him, even when the world told her he was gone.

The modern-world twist was a fun curveball, and the way the two Sun-chaeks handled rewriting the ending? Genius. I really appreciated that the show didn't just tie things up neatly, but gave every character space to grow—even Lee-gyu, who walked off still brooding like the antihero he is.

And that wedding scene? Adorable. I teared up. I laughed. I yelled at the screen. Hwa-seon catching the bouquet was the perfect little wink at future hijinks. Honestly, this show had heart, heat, and just the right amount of chaos. A strong finish to a wildly entertaining ride.