PDTVD 01

Chapter – 01

 That’s Not What I Meant

How long had it been since I collapsed onto the cold floor?

It began with a numbness in my throat. Then came dizziness, followed by a wave of nausea so violent it made me convulse. My limbs seized up, and now I couldn’t even move a single finger.

When I saw a rat lapping up the soup I’d spilled—only to writhe, froth, and fall still—I understood.

(I’ve been poisoned.)

Which meant, of course, that I was no longer of use.

My name is Olivia Bell Arvine.
Daughter of Marquis Arvine, a man deeply trusted by the king, and fiancée to the crown prince—at least, that was the face I showed to the world.

Until about ten days ago.

Now I’m nothing more than a criminal imprisoned in the tower dungeon, accused of attempting to poison the kingdom’s treasured Saint. My engagement was annulled, my title disgraced—everything I had is gone.

I vomited until my throat tore and blood spilled from my mouth.
The poison was clearly one that killed slowly, cruelly.
After being used and discarded, this was to be my end. People called me a demon, but they were the real monsters.

(Why must I suffer like this?)

As agony from every part of my body consumed me, I laughed faintly.

My life had meant nothing.
I’d been used, trampled, and left to rot—never once knowing happiness.
And as I faced death, there wasn’t a single person I wished to see.

My father ignored my existence to the very end.
My fiancé abandoned me, condemning me as a sinner.
No friends, no knights, not even a maid at my side—just a pitiful, lonely woman.

Even if I died, not a soul would care.
How empty.

A shimmer of golden hair—radiant and blessed—flickered through my mind.

I wished I could have lived like her.
Not a life of writhing in poison and pain, but one where I was loved, cherished, and free to look forward to tomorrow. A blessed life…

But someone like me—a foolish sinner—had no right to dream of such things.

(God— I will curse you for eternity.)

And so, steeped in loneliness and pain, I ended my sixteen short years of life.

◆

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a warm place.

It looked like an old, crumbling chapel, light gently streaming down from above. The walls were made of stone, covered in moss and vines, reclaimed quietly by nature.

Before me stood a boy I’d never seen before.

He was beautiful—his hair and skin white as snow. Dressed in priest-like robes, every part of him glowed faintly with divine light.

He was almost… otherworldly.

“That’s right. I’m Demiul—the one you humans call God.”

His voice carried a sacred tone, like a hymn, so pure it made me want to kneel and pray without thinking.

Demiul—the name of the Creator God.
The one who made heaven and earth, who birthed the spirits—the Father of all life.
The very god I had cursed in my dying breath.

And then I realized—

(Wait… am I alive?)

Why? I was certain I’d died in that dungeon. I could still remember, vividly, the torment of the poison.

“Oh, you definitely died,”

the boy said, smiling gently.

“Then… is this heaven?”

“Nope. You’re not going to heaven.”

His cheerful response made my shoulders slump in despair.

“I see… Of course. Someone like me, a sinner, could never ascend to heaven.”

“Hold on, don’t look so glum! You’re not going to hell either. You’ve suffered quite a bit, haven’t you? Your curse even reached me, after all. You must’ve been really miserable.”

He said, “Poor thing,” with a smile that didn’t look the slightest bit sympathetic.

To a god, one human’s life or death must be a trivial thing.

“Let’s see. What did you do, anyway? Sure, you put poison in the Saint’s tea—but that was because your stepmother ordered you to, wasn’t it? It wasn’t even your own will.”

“How do you know that…?”

“And yet you were made to suffer and die, with no one to mourn you. That’s just cruel. I mean, sure, you were the villainess—but isn’t that a bit too tragic?”

…Villainess?
He must mean me.

I suppose, to the Saint and her protectors, I was indeed the villain.

“Don’t get the wrong idea—I wasn’t the one who made you suffer. Your soul was summoned here from another world. Because of that, it didn’t quite fit into this one, and you ended up suffering far more than you should have.”

He sighed lightly, scratching his head as though it were a minor inconvenience.

Which, when you thought about it, made it exactly his fault.

But the god didn’t seem aware of that at all.

“Anyway, being hated feels kinda bad, and it’s true that you had it rough. So I’ve decided to save your soul.”

“Save… my soul?”

“Yep. I’m a merciful god, you know. I’ll give you a chance to live happily.”

Then he smiled like a mischievous child and asked:

“So, what do you wish for?”

Even though it was terribly disrespectful, I couldn’t help thinking—

(Would it kill you to sound a little more apologetic?)

His guiltless, innocent smile confirmed to me that he was indeed divine—so far beyond human that even the suffering of others meant nothing to him.

I swallowed my bitterness and sighed.
Arguing would get me nowhere; that much I could tell.

If he was willing to grant my wish, I might as well take the chance.

“Then… I never want to die from poison again.”

“Sure thing! Being poisoned must’ve been awful. Anything else?”

“Also…”

The faces of my cruel stepmother and sister came to mind—my fiancé’s cold eyes as he held the Saint close, and the sneering voices that called me a fake.

Why had I been treated like that?
All I’d ever wanted was—

“I just… want to live. Peacefully, quietly—I don’t need luxury. I didn’t want to die! If possible, I’d like to live being loved, not used…”

“Got it!”

He agreed far too easily.

“Eh? I–Is that really okay?”

“Of course! You’re so humble. What a wonderful heart you have!”

“Oh, um… I wouldn’t say that—”

“Then I’ll grant you unique knowledge and power! Okay, settled!”

…Settled? What does that even mean—

Before I could ask, my consciousness faded to black, like a curtain falling on a play.

The last thing I saw was Demiul’s infuriating—no, radiant—smile as he waved goodbye.

◆

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a bed.

Not the filthy cot from the dungeon, but my familiar, soft bed—my bed at the Marquis’ estate.

“I’m… alive?”

I raised my hand toward the ceiling—and froze.

My hand looked smaller.

Leaping from the bed, I rushed to the mirror. Reflected there was a younger version of myself—by several years.

“Wh–what? What’s happened to my body—”

As I touched my cheek in confusion, a ping! electronic sound rang in my head.

(…Electronic sound? What’s that again?)

Before I could remember, something appeared before my eyes.

【Olivia Bell Arvine】

Gender: Female　Age: 13
Status: Weak　Occupation: Marquis’ Daughter / Poison-Eater

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《Blessing of the Creator God (Pity)》　new!

Poison Skill　new!
・Poison Resistance Lv.1　new!

––––––––––––––––––––––

A translucent square window floated in midair.

“A… game status screen!?”

At that exclamation, everything came flooding back.

My previous life—as a beauty consultant for a major cosmetics brand in Japan.
The world I was in now—identical to the otome game I’d once played.
And myself—the villainess rival to the Saint heroine, Olivia.

There were too many shocks to process, but one thing I needed to say first—

“I did say I didn’t want to suffer and die from poison ever again, but what I meant was that I wanted a new life free from anything to do with poison…”

Poison Skill　new!
・Poison Resistance Lv.1　new!

“So in other words—that’s not what I meant!!”