Episode 9

"**The Birthday Banquet (2)**" is the ninth released episode of *Your Throne* by SAM. Eros sends a group of secretly-trained imperial knights to lead Medea into a trap. After reuniting with Medea, Helio searches for Psyche, who has disappeared from the banquet.

## Synopsis

With a malevolent glint in his eyes, Eros declares that no one will dare to suspect him for plotting the assassination of his fiancée at his own birthday banquet.

On the balcony, Helio listens intently as Medea explains her situation in detail while affectionately stroking his cheek and playing with his hair. She emphasizes that she needs to marry Eros by the end of the year to remain in Psyche's body. If she fails, she will return to her original body on the day of the Yearly Prayer. Helio gently assures her that he will keep it in mind. Medea notes how happy he is to be with her and decides not to worry him with the incident in the basement of the count's manor. Instead, she asks him to collect information from Psyche on the crown prince.

The sound of approaching footsteps stops Medea in her tracks. Helio hastily hands her a cloth-wrapped gift, bidding her farewell, and retreats into the darkness of the tree branches. Medea unwraps the cloth and smiles at the object, pleased by how well Helio knows her. A knight with long hair pulled back into a ponytail approaches the balcony and informs Medea that Eros wishes to meet with her in the gardens. Medea stows the gift away into her sleeve and turns around to follow the knight. Obscured in the darkness, Helio watches as Medea and the knight disappear down the hall. He silently wishes that he had more time with Medea to assure her that despite switching bodies, she is the only person he is willing to lay down his life for.

In the ballroom, the banquet is in full swing. Weaving through the throngs of nobles, Helio scans the room for Psyche. Though he was only away for a brief period of time, she seems to have disappeared. He muses to himself that he cannot take his eyes off of her for even a moment. Noticing his searching gaze, Lady Seira approaches and asks if he is looking for "Lady Medea." Helio barely spares a glance in her direction as he makes a noise of assent. In a falsely sweet voice, Seira claims that she accidentally offended "Medea" and begs him to put in a good word for her. Ignoring her request, Helio asks to know where "Medea" was heading. As Seira points him in the right direction, Helio brushes her roughly aside and swiftly walks away without a word.

In one of the imperial gardens, Medea notes how far away from the palace the knights have led her. At the head of the group, the knight with the ponytail states that they are simply following the crown prince's orders. Without warning, a knight whose face is partially obscured by a hood rushes forward and slashes at Medea with a sword. Instinctively, Medea swiftly dodges and barely avoids the attack. She falls to the ground, shaking, and stares up at the group of knights. Watching her trembling form, the hooded knight recalls Eros explaining how frail "Psyche" is and contemplates how teaming up against a defenseless woman violates his code of chivalry. The hooded knight then reminds himself that he must follow imperial orders and grabs Medea by the collar of her gown. In a low voice, he advises Medea to stay still so he can kill her in one strike and spare her the pain. With a flash of steel, blood splatters all over the grass.

In another garden belonging to the imperial palace, Helio finally catches sight of Psyche crouched in the shadows, her face buried in her arms. Sighing in relief, he jogs towards her and sits down on the grass next to her. Psyche continues to cry in her arms, barely acknowledging his arrival. Helio lifts his cloak and gently wipes her tears away. As he dabs at her wet eyes, Helio silently muses how he never expected to once again see Lady Medea cry. Psyche lifts her head and stares down at the ground, refusing to meet his gaze. She quietly confesses that she attempted to heed his warnings and maintain her composure at the banquet. The moment she heard Eros' name, however, she lost control of her emotions and could not hold back her tears. In a slightly bitter voice, Psyche remarks at how amazing Medea is to skillfully fool everyone as "Psyche." Medea's impersonation is so thorough that even Eros, Psyche's fiancé, does not doubt her identity.

The thought of Eros brings tears to her eyes once again. Psyche wonders if she will continue making mistake after mistake, constantly running away from her problems, until she accidentally exposes her true identity and destroys everything Medea built over the years. Helio quietly reassures Psyche that he will not stand idly by and watch her ruin Medea's life. Without the slightest trace of doubt in his voice, he adds that Medea is not the type to be easily defeated by such insignificant setbacks. Psyche finally looks at him. She stares at his expression for a moment before asking if he is in love with Medea. Taken aback, Helio momentarily hesitates before chuckling. He remarks on how strange it is to be asked that question by Psyche with Medea's face. Before Psyche can press him further, a snowflake falls onto Helio's cheek. The two of them look up at the night sky as a flurry of snowflakes begin to fall from the darkness.

Meanwhile, Medea barely notices the falling snow as blood drips down her face. Listlessly, she wonders if she misunderstood the guardian deity of the Vasilios Empire. Perhaps, rather than granting her wish on the day of the Yearly Prayer, the guardian deity decided to switch her and Psyche because of this very moment. From a distance, the head knight calls out to the hooded knight, ordering him to quickly finish the job so that they can return to the palace. Her voice falters as the hooded knight collapses to the ground, dead. A maniacal laugh suddenly rips through the night, echoing in the silence as several crows take flight, startled by the sound. Medea holds up a bloody dagger and triumphantly states how disappointed the knights must be to realize that the spilt blood is not hers, but that of their comrade. She silently muses to herself that she did not expect to use Helio's gift, the dagger, so soon.

The head knight realizes in horror that Medea stabbed the hooded knight in his vital point, killing him instantly. As the knight stares at Medea's blood-soaked figure, she wonders if the woman before her is truly the fragile, gentle "Psyche." Before the head knight can rally up her companions, Medea rushes forward and slashes at her face with her dagger. She freezes in place, clenching her jaw as she realizes Medea is too fast for her to draw her sword. With a half-crazed expression, Medea threatens the knight at knifepoint and demands to know the identity of their master--if it is the crown prince.

## Characters

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

* Eros Orna Vasilios
* Helio Niccolo
* Medea Solon
* Eros's knight
* Lady Seira
* Psyche Callista

## Trivia

* In the English translation, Eros' knight is referred to as a male. However, in the original Korean version, the head knight is female. In Episode 18 of the English translation, the knight's gender is corrected from male to female.
* Falling snow in literature often symbolizes the beginning of hardships and death. In eastern cultures, the color white also represents mourning. Many works of literature use snow to foreshadow upcoming wars.

## Gallery

Medea gently strokes Helio's face.Eros's knight summons Medea to the imperial gardens.Lady Seira tells Helio where Psyche is.The hooded knight attacks Medea, who barely dodges the sword.Helio finds Psyche crying in a garden.Helio and Psyche discuss Medea.Medea, covered in blood, wonders if she is meant to die in Psyche's stead.Medea, half-crazed, demands to know if the Crown Prince is behind the assassination.