Episode 17

"**Just For A Day**" is the seventeenth released episode of *Your Throne* by SAM. As the poison steadily kills Medea, her subconscious is brought into the arms of the guardian deity of Vasilios. There, she witnesses the terrible struggles Psyche faced as a young child blessed as the guardian deity's chosen one.

## Synopsis

Tears flow down Psyche's cheeks as she gazes at the dying face of Medea. The poison seeping through Medea's veins raises dark purplish striations across her fair skin, steadily spreading throughout her body. Helio and Psyche mourn over Medea's dying form, unable to do anything but watch as their beloved friend slowly nears death. Psyche silently recalls the bitter statement Medea uttered before falling unconscious: If the guardian deity switched their bodies to save Psyche's life, a single day would have sufficed. In despair, Psyche agrees with Medea; after all, she has never once been truly happy being the chosen one of the guardian deity.

In a limbo dimension, Medea suddenly opens her eyes to find herself in the midst of an underwater world. Despite being submerged in water, she takes a deep breath, realizing that she can breathe. She watches as light flickers off the surface of the water and recognizes her surroundings as the same location she entered after falling into the Temple fountain on the day of the Yearly Prayer. She wonders aloud if she has died. When she receives no answer, she resentfully acknowledges that she can only rely on herself to discover the truth as usual. Willfully, she walks forward in the timeless void, stopping only when her path is obstructed by a vast, brick wall that seems to stretch for miles. She walks along the wall until she comes across a section where a hole is carved deep into the bricks. Apprehensively, Medea peers into the dark space. A ragged, pallid face with long, disheveled hair and lifeless green eyes stares back at her. Horrified, Medea realizes that she is looking at a young Psyche.

A scene from Psyche's past begins to unfold before Medea. In the dark basement under the count's manor, Psyche sat on the bed with Countess Callista, holding a children's storybook in her frail arms. Her white dress was smudged and ragged, torn at the ends. As she pointed at the colorful drawings in the book, Psyche asked the countess for permission to go outside. As if this were a regular occurrence, Countess Callista frantically grabbed ahold of Psyche's narrow shoulders, reminding her that it was too dangerous to have such awful thoughts. If people were to discover that Psyche was god's chosen one, they would tear her apart with jealousy. To illustrate her point, the countess picked up another book and began reading the new tale to her daughter. The story told of a beautiful princess who was beloved by a god, surrounded by priceless treasures. However, she lost her life as punishment for doubting god's love. Understanding the parallel to her own life, Psyche listlessly wondered why she had to put faith in a god who never appeared before her despite claiming to love her.

As the years passed, Psyche grew to become a beautiful, young teenager. The person who freed her from the hellish prison was not her beloved god, but a man. Psyche stared up in wonder as servants of the House of Callista bustled, arranging new furniture for her new bedroom. Count Callista entered, quietly lamenting on how difficult the countess had made things for Psyche. Realizing that she had finally obtained the freedom she desired for fifteen years, Psyche desperately rushed out of the house to see the open sky for the first time. To her surprise, awaiting her was Eros, a handsome man who welcomed her with open arms. Tears began to fall from Psyche's eyes as she realized that it was he who freed her from the basement. To her, he was her true god.

As they began to spend time together, Eros admitted to Psyche that he could become a true god if she was by his side. Recalling her mothers warnings, Psyche reminded herself that she could never doubt or disobey Eros if she wished to keep his love. When Eros warned Psyche to stay away from Medea Solon, however, Psyche could not accommodate his wishes. Regardless of Eros's opinion, Medea was Psyche's first true friend. Looking back, Psyche realized that she was able to endure her confinement because of her ignorance to the rest of the world. In the small bubble that she created after gaining freedom, Psyche prayed to the guardian deity, wishing that this peace would last forever.

Medea turns away from the fading scene, refusing to watch the rest of Psyche's past. After all, it is a history that she knows well. Despite having a loved one, Psyche would receive an imperial order to participate in the crown princess competition. When Eros's identity was revealed, she would spend many nights lying awake in anguish, forced to stand by and watch as her best friend and her loved one married one another. Medea clenches her fist, wondering if she is shown these images to repent for her sins. She now realizes that the brick wall represents the defenses that Psyche built to protect herself from the rest of the world. Despite the massive size of the wall, Psyche's true feelings begin to seep through the small hole. Medea listens as Psyche's thoughts and despairs present themselves one by one: *If she had been brave enough to voice her thoughts, if she had not feared the basement, or yearned for the outside world, she could have prevented the tragedies that would come. If she had not been born, perhaps all those she held dear would not have suffered.* Chuckling humorlessly, Medea realizes that, like herself, Psyche also made a wish on the day of the Yearly Prayer. Psyche prayed to end her own life. It was a ridiculous wish. Though she hated Psyche, Medea never once wished for her death.

A disembodied voice reverberates through the waters from above, reminding Medea that she asked for everything that Psyche possessed, including Psyche's misfortunes. With cold eyes, Medea declares that she is not willing to die a meaningless death. Unlike Psyche, she cannot rest until the man responsible for all the tragedies is brought to justice. Light begins to swirl around Medea's body as poison rapidly spreads through her veins. The disembodied voice of the guardian deity mocks Medea for her impertinence. Unfazed, Medea states that she chooses to believe in the cowardly girl over a god who does nothing but watch from afar. As god's favorite child, Psyche has the natural charisma to influence others in putting their faith in her. Though they have been leading tragic lives, Medea is intent on turning everything around. Back in the imperial garden, Psyche screams that she does not wish to remain weak and helpless. As the seconds of Medea's life slowly tick away, Psyche realizes that rather than wishing for her own death on the day of the Yearly Prayer, she should have begged for strength. She beseeches to the guardian deity for one last chance. Instead of running away and escaping, she will face everything head-on.

A drop of Psyche's blood seeps through the gash where Helio's dagger pierced and drips onto a pearl of Medea's necklace. Suddenly, a blinding flash of light bursts from the necklace—the necklace that Eros gave to Medea before the start of the banquet, that the knight grabbed onto as she pulled Medea's collar forward before her death. Psyche and Helio watch in astonishment as the wounds on Medea's body heal one by one in the brilliant light, and with a gasp, Medea opens both of her eyes.

## Characters

*Characters are listed in order of appearance. Character first appearances are **bolded**.*

* Medea Solon
* Psyche Callista
* Helio Niccolo
* Countess Callista (flashback)
* Count Callista (flashback)
* Eros Orna Vasilios (flashback)
* Eros's knight (flashback)

## Trivia

* MZ composed an original song, *하루만 네가 되고 싶어 Hoped to be you*, that debuted in the original Korean version of this episode.
* The title page of this episode deviates from its usual purple-pink gradient and is drawn in an orange-yellow color scheme.
* Throughout history and literature, water has been used to symbolize a wide variety of things, including purity and life. In this episode, it is used to represent Medea's rebirth, as she is submerged into holy water, not unlike baptism in the Christian Church.

## Music

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## Gallery

The poison in Medea's body quickly spreads.Medea spots a hole in the wall.Psyche and Countess Callista read in the basement.Eros warned Psyche to avoid Medea.Medea realizes how difficult Psyche's life was.The guardian deity speaks to Medea.Psyche's blood drips onto Medea's necklace.