Episode 20

"**A Leap**" is the twentieth released episode of *Your Throne* by SAM. After the night of the imperial banquet, Eros begins to investigate the events of the assassination attempt, intent on discovering the cause behind his failure to steal Psyche's divinity. Meanwhile, Helio promises to help Psyche learn swordsmanship for self-defense.

## Synopsis

The servant stands at the doorway to the balcony, speechless at the scene before him. With a cold glare, Psyche orders him to leave so that she and Helio can make themselves appropriate to return to the banquet. The servant quickly shuts the door behind him, his face red with embarrassment. Psyche and Helio sigh in relief and break apart from their embrace. Helio buries his face in his hands, mortified at the lengths he had to go to excuse their absence from the banquet. Seeing his form hunched over in shame, Psyche frets over whether or not she pulled off a convincing enough imitation of Medea's personality. Irritably, Helio tells Psyche to lower her voice in case anyone overhears them.

The once highly-anticipated imperial banquet celebrating the crown prince's birthday has reached a conclusion. The esteemed nobles who were invited as guests are gathered in the banquet hall and interrogated one at a time. Due to the time constraint, Eros simply writes down the names of the guests. As he is not yet the emperor, it is inappropriate of him to hold the esteemed guests as hostage for a longer duration of time. The guests know better than to protest, however, for the crown prince of the Vasilios Empire possesses power and authority above all others, including those who journeyed from foreign lands. All neighboring kingdoms vow to offer assistance in the investigation, not knowing that their efforts are futile. News of the assassination attempt on the future crown princess sweeps through the Empire of Vasilios, inducing rage and panic among its citizens.

Several days later, the corpses of Eros's elite knights are hung in front of the palace walls. The onlooking crowd shouts in contempt, cursing the supposed criminals who dared to cross the imperial family and harm their beloved future crown princess. Eros puts an arm around Medea's shoulders, reassuring her that those who attempted to harm her have been properly condemned. Wordlessly, Medea looks up at the body of the head knight, a woman who once fought valiantly for the sake of her master. Her rotting corpse sways in the wind, her silver hair tangled and caked with dried blood. The secret order of elite knights who devoted themselves to the imperial family cannot even die valiantly. Instead of the knights dying with the honor of faithfully serving the empire, their bodies are used by their own master as scapegoats for an atrocious crime. Medea glances at Eros, whose blissful face shows no signs of remorse for what he did to his devout servants. With his arm around Medea's waist, Eros guides her back to the carriage that awaited at a nearby road. Onlookers cheer in support of the imperial couple, giving words of encouragement and well-wishes for the crown prince's full recovery.

At the count's manor, Medea promptly changes into her nightgown and climbs into bed. Eros sits on the edge of her bed and gently cups her face in his hand. His eyes scan her body carefully as he expresses concern over the remaining wounds from the night of the banquet. Though most of her injuries have healed, he is worried that she has not fully recovered. Medea smiles, knowing fully well that his true concern lies in regards to Psyche's divinity, not the state of her well-being. Claiming to still be in shock over what transpired in the imperial gardens, she explains that the divinity that she possesses requires a strong state of mind to fully control. Silently, she wonders how different this conversation would have been if she did not discover Psyche's powers. Eros apologizes for overlooking the danger that she found herself in, feigning regret for not being by her side. He then casually asks about the person who allegedly saved her in the gardens, insisting that he wishes to reward them handsomely for such a valiant feat. Medea smiles knowingly, confident that he is intent on killing her supposed savior. If he was genuinely concerned about Psyche, he would have refrained from forcing her to recall details of such a horrible experience. She fabricates physical details about her imaginary savior, describing a tall, cloaked man with red hair. After listening intently, Eros stands up to leave, assuring Medea that he can grant any of her wishes, as he is the crown prince. Smiling, Medea makes a request.

At the duke's manor, Helio joins Psyche in the greenhouse for tea. As part of her training regimen to impersonate Medea, Psyche practices speaking informally towards him. She uses a condescending tone as she informs him of her intent on learning swordsmanship. Surprised by the sudden request, Helio asks if she has spoken to anyone else regarding this matter. People may find it strange that "Medea" wishes to re-learn an art she supposedly mastered since childhood. Psyche reassures him that she has not. After a moment of contemplation, Helio explains that Medea's body has trained reflexes that will allow Psyche to learn swordsmanship at an accelerated rate as long as she properly learns the concepts. Since many members of the public are unaware of Medea's capability with a sword, it will not be strange for Psyche to openly practice.

Outside of the greenhouse, several maids whisper eagerly to one another, gossiping about the young marquess and "Lady Medea" spending time together. Since the night of the imperial banquet, rumors have been circulating regarding the true nature of the relationship between the two young nobles. Noticing this, Helio advises Psyche to be wary of her actions in public, as they can be easily misconstrued as signs of seduction. Affronted, Psyche protests loudly, assuming that this is the cause behind Helio's wan complexion and brusque behavior towards her. Helio kneads his forehead exasperatedly and denies her accusation, confessing that he has been in a bad mood due to recent nightmares.

That evening, Helio dreams of Medea's near-death experience in the imperial gardens. He suddenly jerks awake, disoriented and covered in cold sweat. In his panic, he accidentally grabs ahold of the canopy hanging above his bed and crashes to the floor with a loud thump. As he disentangles himself from the fallen fabric, Helio draws ragged breaths in attempt to ease his pounding. He reminds himself that Medea is not dead; she is simply in a place that he cannot reach. His butler bursts into the chambers carrying a tray of water and kneels beside the young marquess. As the butler attempts to soothe him, Helio takes the cup and downs its contents in one go. He suddenly catches sight of his reflection in a mirror and stops in his tracks. As he leans in closely, he realizes the kiss mark Psyche left on his neck at the banquet has not faded. He touches the spot gingerly, wondering why the wound has not healed.

Meanwhile at the imperial palace, a knight kneels in front of the crown prince. Blood drips to the floor as the knight apologizes for his incompetence. The search for the whereabouts of "Psyche's" alleged savior has not produced any results; the few clues left behind are far too inadequate for any leads. The knight implores Eros to be lenient on the time constraint, promising that his men can search beyond the capital if time permits. Eros denies the request, explaining that the savior is too clever and not likely to be found at this point. Rather than mindlessly searching, Eros decides that the best way is to personally lay a trap. He seals an envelope with a blue wax seal, declaring that it is time to make a move.

Since the night of the banquet, a new burden has been placed upon the shoulders of all who were affected by the assassination scheme. At the House of Niccolo, Helio receives a similar-looking envelope with a blue wax seal. Psyche, on the training grounds of the Duke's manor, receives an invitation from the imperial palace. At the count's manor, Count Callista is informed of his daughter's wish to learn swordsmanship. Alarmed by the sudden announcement, he rushes to Psyche's chambers to confirm her intentions, concerned about the physical strain the training will place on Psyche's weak body. Count Callista stops in his tracks, frozen at the sight of who he assumes is his daughter, standing in front of an open window. Upon the count's arrival, she turns around as her freshly-cut, shoulder-length hair blows gently in the breeze.

## Characters

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

* Psyche Callista
* Helio Niccolo
* Medea Solon
* Eros Orna Vasilios
* Eros's head knight
* Count Callista

## Gallery

The servant stumbles upon an intimate moment between Psyche and Helio.The esteemed guests of the banquet are questioned.The corpses of the knights are hung on display in front of the palace walls.Eros asks Medea who her alleged savior is.Helio drinks tea as Psyche asks to learn swordsmanship.Helio realizes the wound on his neck has not healed.Eros receives no news of the whereabouts of Medea's alleged savior.Psyche's new hair.