Psyche Callista/Timeline

## Background

Psyche grew up in the wealthy House of Callista as the only daughter of the count and countess. Since birth, Psyche possessed the divine power to heal. She was capable of healing minor to relatively major wounds on her own body, and on those of others within a certain vicinity. Because she had no voluntary control over this ability, Psyche was confined to the basement of the count's manor, forbidden to enter the outside world. Her mother, Countess Callista, wished to protect Psyche and her divine power from being discovered by greedy nobles. Psyche was taught to never question the "god" who had blessed her with divinity, and to obediently remain hidden. Even as a child, Psyche wondered why she should appreciate a god who abandoned her in the eternal darkness. Many years later, Psyche reached young adulthood and was finally freed from the basement. Expensive furnitures and lavish decorations were delivered to furnish Psyche's new bed chambers. Psyche then met Eros, who claimed responsibility for her freedom. Assuming he was her true "god" for freeing her from the darkness, Psyche immediately devoted herself and fell in love with him. She reminded herself to never doubt or question her "god," thus never learning his true identity.

At the debutante ball three years prior to the current timeline, Psyche made her formal debut into high society. As she spent time with other socialites, Psyche began hearing about the reputable Lady Medea, eldest daughter of Duke Solon and fiancée of the crown prince. Psyche became fascinated by Medea's prominent influence and well-established reputation. They eventually became close friends after Psyche defended Medea from public scrutiny. Their friendship became the talk of high society, sparking jealousy from those who coveted a relationship with the powerful Medea. Psyche was tormented by the highly-ambitious Lady Seira as a result. One day, Psyche was invited to participate in a competition against Medea. The winner who exhibited proper political knowledge and reigning capabilities would become the future crown princess. Though Psyche was unwilling to compete, Medea convinced her to use this opportunity for exposure and growth. Psyche refrained from sharing her worries that winning the competition would tear her away from Eros, whom she was unaware was the crown prince. Eros consoled her and advised her to propose a policy in the last round that would protect the lowest economic class of the empire.

During the round, Psyche was caught off guard when she discovered Eros's true identity. Nevertheless, she proposed the policy that he suggested, garnering respect from the observing civilians. When she confronted Eros later that night, he stated that most people would be thrilled to discover their lover was royalty. He then reminded her of how he generously freed her from the basement. The next day, the Pope of Vasilios announced Psyche as the winner of the competition, despite the fact that Medea had fairly won all three rounds. With the public's favor and Eros's sudden declaration of love, Psyche joyously accepted his proposal and agreed to become the crown princess. Eros promised to protect her, claiming to be awed by her compassion and generosity towards the weak and helpless. She was then taken aback when Medea suddenly dissolved their friendship. Unaware of what had transpired following the competition, Psyche tearfully accused Medea of throwing away their friendship for power.

## Plot

Several months after their engagement, Psyche and Eros sojourned at an ocean resort where she purchased a blue ring trinket for Medea in an attempt to make amends. Psyche later returned home to receive red lilies from Medea, along with a letter requesting to meet in person. During the meeting, Psyche unknowingly consumed sugar cubes that Medea laced with a drug that later triggered a toxic reaction when mixed with the lilies' fragrance. Psyche then learned that her favorite knight was murdered. Despite her weakened condition, she woke up the next morning to attend the Yearly Prayer ritual at the Grand Temple. Inside the prayer room, she accused Medea of murdering the knight and coveting the seat of crown princess. Psyche declared that she merely accepted the position to be with her beloved, and had no desire for power and influence. As Medea condemned Psyche's naïveté, Psyche silently prayed to the guardian deity to die, believing that all the misfortunes that had occurred were due to her existence. When Medea suddenly fell backwards into the temple fountain, Psyche immediately dove in to save her. Psyche woke up the next day to discover that she and Medea have switched bodies.

Horrified at the strange phenomenon she was experiencing, Psyche was further devastated to learn that Eros could not recognize her, his betrothed. She remained trapped inside Medea's body, aware that it would be difficult to face the countless enemies of Solon house when she lacked the necessary fortitude. Rather than fully impersonating Medea, Psyche retained her original temperament and treated the servants with kindness and respect. That night, Psyche dreamt of Eros beheading her as punishment for masquerading as Medea. With the duke always out of the manor and the duchess bedridden, Psyche focused her concerns on fooling Helio Niccolo, who immediately recognized the difference in Psyche's behavior. Psyche mustered up the courage to tell scold him for his impertinence when he confronted her, and sent him home believing she had succeeded in impersonating Medea. She was therefore shocked when Helio infiltrated her chambers the next night and correctly identified her as Psyche Callista. He explained that despite his wishes, he was under orders from the real Medea to protect Psyche.

From that point on, Psyche began taking lessons and studying etiquette from Helio to properly impersonate Medea in public. Amongst the various subjects he taught her, Helio discussed the complex history between Hennel Kingdom and the Vasilios Empire. He explained that though the new king declared himself pro-imperialism, it was difficult to determine whether or not he harbored underlying intentions. On the day of the imperial banquet, Helio instructed Psyche to wear a less-conspicuous gown to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Psyche barely restrained her emotions as she stood in the crowds, watching Medea court Eros in her place. After Helio briefly stepped away, Lady Seira approached whom she believed was Medea and attempted to disparage her in front of other members of high society. Psyche recalled her training with Helio and successfully mimicked Medea's condescending attitude in threatening Lady Seira. Her short-lived victory crumbled as whispers regarding the upcoming royal marriage reached her ears. Reduced to tears, Psyche left the banquet hall and begged the guardian deity to restore her original life. She then confided to Helio that she always envied Medea's strength and felt incapable of upholding her reputation. As Helio maintained his faith in his childhood friend, Psyche wondered if he was in love with Medea.

Psyche later followed Helio into the imperial gardens to search for Medea, whom he believed was in imminent danger. Despite not understanding the context, Psyche led him to the rendezvous place where she and Eros used to privately meet. They arrived to see Medea mortally wounded, surrounded by the corpses of elite knights. Psyche prevented Helio from committing immediate suicide, reassuring him that Medea was still alive. Despite her dwindling strength, Medea demanded to know how Psyche felt as the blessed child of the guardian deity. Medea declared that she was chosen to die in Psyche's stead and bitterly lamented on her wish to simply live one day in Psyche's body. As Medea succumbed to the toxic poison running in her veins, Psyche concluded with horror that Eros, the only person aware of her worth, was the mastermind behind the assassination attempt. Psyche realized that rather than wishing for her own death on the day of the Yearly Prayer, she should have begged for strength. She beseeched to the guardian deity for one last chance, vowing to face her problems instead of avoiding them. Psyche's divinity was then harnessed by the sacred relic necklace and miraculously healed Medea's injuries.

After reconciling with Medea, Psyche revealed that she was born with divinity, the ability to heal. Medea in turn disclosed her suspicions regarding Eros, declaring that she planned to kill him as punishment for the assassination attempt. Psyche restrained herself from instinctively protesting in Eros's sake, unwillingly acknowledging the truth in Medea's words. Medea then asked if Psyche's divinity could bring a person back from the dead. Psyche explained that her ability could not heal fatal injuries, let alone bring a person back to life. As Medea returned to the imperial banquet with fresh wounds, Psyche hid one of the knight's swords while Helio altered the corpses' wounds, destroying evidence of what had transpired. In an attempt to explain their prolonged absence from the festivities, Helio and Psyche staged an intimate moment on one of the palace balconies. Rumors regarding the nature of the relationship between Helio and "Medea" began to circulate through high society as a result.

Psyche asked Helio the next day to teach her swordsmanship as a basic level of self-defense. In light of recent events, Helio agreed but reminded her to maintain distance from him in public. Psyche later used her divinity to heal the duchess, but was interrupted by a young maid who gave her a tour of the manor. Psyche came across a locked drawer in Medea's study and found within its contents a familiar opal necklace. Unable to recall its origins, Psyche decided to wear the necklace to her first swordsmanship lesson with Helio. After a productive session, Helio coincidentally caught a glimpse of the necklace around her neck. He coldly declared that she had no right to wear it and remarked on how fortunate she was to inhabit Medea's body; regardless of his personal desires, he could not harm her as he wished. Later that night, the young maid expressed relief and joy that Psyche, whom she believed was Medea, could wear Nana's necklace again months after her untimely death. Psyche then realized that she had not encountered Nana since switching bodies with Medea.

The next day, Thesion proudly announced that he had arranged a marriage between Medea and King Hennel. As Thesion claimed that the foreign king fell in love with her at the imperial banquet, Psyche recalled Helio's suspicions about King Hennel and attempted to reason with Medea's father. Her words incurred the duke's wrath as he accused her of thwarting his plans and disappointing him as a daughter. The young maid defended Psyche from the duke's blows and was injured as a result. As Psyche hastily protected the maid, Thesion humorlessly remarked on how similar the circumstances were to when he had beaten Nana to death. Psyche realized that Nana's death was punishment for Medea losing the crown princess competition. Full of remorse, Psyche contemplated committing suicide before recalling her vow to the guardian deity to become stronger. Despite promising to keep her distance from Helio, she ventured to the marquess's manor the next day to confront him. Civilian crowds who believed she was Medea assaulted her as she attempted to pass through town, accusing her of attempting to murder the future crown princess. At Helio's manor, Psyche informed him of King Hennel's marriage proposition as an incentive to divulge information about Medea's past. As Psyche expressed her fury at how Thesion used his daughter to advance his political influence,  Helio proposed several methods to assassinate the duke. Helio confessed that he and Medea had plotted the assassination for several years but missed their opportunity.

On the day she was to formally meet the king, Psyche threatened to jump off a balcony, unleashing the years of resentment Medea harbored towards Thesion. Psyche leapt onto a nearby tree, where she abruptly switched back to her original body. The brief moment of unconsciousness caused her to fall from the tree and break her limbs. After returning to Medea's body, Psyche caught a glimpse of King Hennel watching through the windows with an ambiguous smile on his face. Psyche refrained from using her divinity to avoid suspicion and thus required medical care to properly treat her legs. As a doctor tended to her injuries, Psyche impersonated Medea and coolly told Thesion that she did not need him as her father. Later that night, Psyche's confidence crumbled in the presence of Eros, who visited her chambers unannounced. Psyche was taken aback by his sudden appearance and was unable to properly mimic Medea's usual demeanor. Her submissive, shameful disposition sparked Eros's interest and led him to confess that he preferred to have Medea as his empress. As they shared a brief kiss, Psyche recalled Helio's respectful attitude towards Medea and realized that Eros's love was not genuine. Eros then encouraged Psyche, whom he believed was Medea, to continue pursuing the seat of crown princess and left the duke's manor.

In a rage, Psyche repeatedly slammed her head against the wall to regain her senses. When she attempted to use her divinity to heal her wounds, the injuries only exacerbated. Terrified by the inexplicable circumstances, Psyche locked herself in her chambers and refused to consume food. She repeatedly attempted to use her divinity, only succeeding once she recalled her past. Psyche then returned back to her original body by will and healed her mother, who had fallen down the stairs. After demanding to end her relationship with Eros, Psyche cut her hair.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Episode 18
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Episode 17
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Episode 12
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Episode 8
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Episode 13
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Episode 16
7. ↑ Episode 14
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Episode 15
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Episode 33
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Episode 24
11. ↑ Episode 1
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Episode 2
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Episode 3
14. ↑ Episode 4
15. ↑ Episode 5
16. ↑ Episode 6
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Episode 7
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Episode 23
19. ↑ Episode 10
20. ↑ Episode 9
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Episode 22
22. ↑ Episode 19
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Episode 20
24. ↑ Episode 21
25. ↑ Episode 25
26. ↑ Episode 27
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Episode 28
28. ↑ Episode 29
29. ↑ Episode 32
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Episode 34
31. ↑ Episode 37
32. ↑ Episode 38
33. ↑ Episode 39
34. ↑ Episode 40