PDTVD 20

Chapter 20: The Crown Prince’s Detox Plan

【Noah Arthur Igburn】

Gender: Male
Age: 13
Condition: Chronic Poisoning
Occupation: Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Igburn / Olivia’s fiancé / Hardcore Olivia Fan

The displayed status for Noah hadn’t changed much since before—except for the occupation field, which now contained some puzzling words I would rather not analyze too deeply.
At least I can say for sure: that last part is not an occupation.

According to Shiro, this “status window” differs from the poison warning display; it only appears when I directly touch someone.
It won’t react through gloves or clothing, and it seems I can also suppress it by will. That was a relief—having other people’s statuses pop up every time I brushed against them would be unbearable. Being able to control it somewhat is a blessing.

Still, Noah’s condition remains “Chronic Poisoning.”
Apparently, a few days of detox weren’t enough to purge the toxins built up in his body. Queen Eleanor must have been administering poison slowly and consistently over a long period, wearing him down bit by bit. The sheer persistence and cruelty of that thought made my skin crawl.

“Your Highness Noah, how are you feeling? Any headaches or nausea?”

“Why so sudden? I used to have both quite often, but ever since you came, Olivia, I’ve been fine.”

“You push yourself too hard with work and study, Your Highness. You must take better care of yourself.”

Noah only gave a wry smile, but Marsha’s concern wasn’t misplaced.

Once preparations for the island retreat are complete, I’ll have to leave this place. Before then, I need to somehow fix Noah’s abnormal condition—but…

◆

I put on the standard maid uniform, finishing it off with a white apron.
My distinctive silver hair was hidden away beneath a maid’s cap, and a pair of thick, oversized glasses completed the disguise.

“In other words—ta-da! From villainess to palace maid… or something like that.”

Shiro, the divine beast sprawled out on the floor, looked up at me with pity.
Please don’t look at me like that. It’s not that palace life is breaking my spirit—I’m just a little tired, that’s all.

“All right, Your Highness Noah! After breakfast, let’s do some light exercise!”

After finishing breakfast in Noah’s chambers and waiting until only Noah, Marsha, and I remained, I gathered my courage and spoke brightly.

Noah froze for a split second, still smiling, then averted his eyes in a suspiciously casual way.

“Ah, come to think of it, I have a meeting with the minister today.”

“Your Highness, you met him yesterday.”

“It wasn’t a meeting, it was sword training. So unfortunately, that means today’s session of… what was it…?”

“Yoga.”

“Yes, that’s right—‘Yo-ga.’ We’ll do that another time.”

And with that, still smiling, Noah fled the room.

“Ugh… he escaped again.”

Ever since arriving here, I’ve been trying to get Noah to join me in yoga as part of his detox regimen.

When I demonstrated a few basic poses, he smiled cheerfully and said, “What a curious form of exercise. Did you come up with it yourself? Impressive—very creative.”
He praised me, yes—but the moment I asked him to try it with me, he always found some excuse to disappear.

And just now, did he call yoga a form of demon worship?
That would explain why I found a small statue of Demiul quietly placed in my room this morning.

“Well, well. His Highness already trains regularly, so exercise shouldn’t be a problem,” Marsha said kindly.

“I suppose… but it still feels a little unsatisfying somehow.”

Marsha laughed at my pout.

“Fufu. Still, thanks to you, Olivia-sama, his diet has improved dramatically, and that makes me truly happy.”

“I only offered a few suggestions.”

“Oh no, if it weren’t for you, His Highness would still be skipping breakfast and living on tea alone.”

Indeed—Noah’s diet had been terribly unbalanced.
Because of all the banquets, he rarely ate breakfast, surviving instead on tea. When busy, he’d even skip lunch, relying on snacks until dinner.

I advised him to at least have a light breakfast, even if late, to avoid overeating at dinner. I also set times for tea consumption—herbal tea at night, and otherwise plenty of warm water or fruit-infused water throughout the day.
Basic but essential steps for expelling toxins.

“When His Highness knows you made the dish yourself, he never leaves a bite behind,” Marsha giggled.

“Really? He doesn’t seem like a picky eater to me.”

“On the contrary! He’s notoriously hard to please—a chef’s nightmare. Your cooking is special, Olivia-sama.”

“Eh? Truly…?”

He always looked so composed eating vegetables and everything else, but apparently, there’s still a bit of childishness in him.

I’ve been teaching Marsha and the palace chefs some simple detox recipes and sweets, partly for my own meals too, and they nearly cried with joy each time.

I’d thought it an overreaction—until Marsha said, “To think someone so kind would come as His Highness’s fiancée, caring for his health like this…” That sobered me right up.

For me to survive, Noah must survive too. Everything I do is for that purpose—but it keeps earning me praise as the “perfect fiancée,” which feels awkward.

While I was mulling that over, Shiro trotted up to me.
“Olivia, I wanna eat your food too!” he said.

When he’d shown interest in Noah’s meals, I’d let him try a bit, and he’d been hooked ever since—constantly begging for more detox dishes. Apparently, they taste better to him than regular ones.

“I’m sure the palace chefs’ food tastes way better, though…”

“Oh, come on, Olivia,” he puffed his chest. “I have a refined palate, you know?”

…So he was male after all.

Marsha laughed, watching our exchange, and I couldn’t help but smile too.

“All right then, I’ll cook—but you’re helping me, okay?”

“Ehh~?”

“Those who don’t work, don’t eat,” I said firmly to the grumbling divine beast.

And so, to offer a worthy tribute to the “discerning” Shiro, I headed to the kitchen once again.