It’s interesting to see that the concubines are not shown to be inherently nasty, at least not yet. They are smart enough to know that Paulina is important. I like the complexity of characters. Like, Lucius is the emperor, but he is still bound by a lot of things. Paulina is competent as a royal guard, but she struggles when it comes to interpersonal relationships. Every character is shown to have flaws, and those flaws are not always presented in good light either.
I think that in the end, Paulina won’t become the empress. She is unfit for the role. However, if any one of the three concubines realizes the depth of feeling that Lucius has for Paulina and also support them, that concubine has a good chance to receive Lucius’s favor to become the empress.
To be fair, Empress Paulina sounds interesting too, but I really can’t imagine Paulina as one.