In the Betuzenia Empire, the Emperor had three wives and six children.
The Empress and the First Consort came from powerful families, but the Second Consort, who used to be a dancer, did not have such support.
Her son, the Fourth Prince, was Kevenriak Heteroven.
The only things the Second Consort could pass on to Kevenriak were his black hair and striking looks, as she passed away early on.
‘What about the Fourth Prince? Did he leave him to the Empress?’
The Emperor was indifferent to the boy, and the Empress and First Consort despised him.
Before the child could even walk, he was assigned to the most dilapidated palace, where sunlight barely reached.
He barely received any financial support, so his food and clothes were always lacking.
Since no one cared about him, he became an easy target for the servants’ frustrations—someone they could beat or harass without caring about any consequences. There was no better stress relief than abusing a royal who wouldn’t cause any trouble afterward.
Neglect and abuse became a daily routine for Kevenriak as he grew up. When he turned eight, nothing had changed.
‘What am I, really?’
Around that time, Kevenriak began wandering around the palace grounds, trying to discover who he truly was.
The royal palace was vast, and there were many people, but no one offered him any answers.
They quickly averted their eyes whenever he met someone’s gaze, and If he tried to talk to anyone, they’d run off in a panic.
To them, he was someone who existed but was better off ignored, someone they could see but had to pretend not to notice.
‘Ah, I get it.’
One day, as he gazed into a broken mirror he found in the palace trash, Kevenriak realized something.
Unlike the well-dressed people of the palace, he looked ragged. His messy black hair hung over his sunken blue eyes, which blinked back at him as if saying, “I knew it.”
‘I’m a monster.’
The old picture book he had found in his dilapidated palace had a monster in it that looked just like him.
A filthy, ugly creature that no one wanted to be around.
The only people who ever spoke to him were the two maids assigned to his palace.
Even though they only gave him moldy, hard bread and cold soup.
Even when his hair became matted and he began to smell so awful that they had to bathe him in a barrel of cold water.
Kevenriak was grateful to them.
After all, they were the only ones who cared for a monster like him.
‘I’ll let you live.’
Monsters are meant to grow up and kill people, so one day, Kevenriak figured he would kill everyone in the palace, too.
He didn’t know why he thought that, but he was convinced it was the reason he had been born.
One day, like any other, Kevenriak was perched in a tree, hiding from people as he watched the palace.
“Lord Hart, have you thought about the proposal I gave you? I believe it’s mutually beneficial… Uh?!”
“Sorry, but I’m busy.”
The man’s loud voice was cut short as the woman waved her hand.
There were plenty of magic users in the palace, so Kevenriak immediately realized she had cast a spell.
“Talking about marriage at eighteen? What kind of creep is that guy?” she muttered, walking right past the tree Kevenriak was hiding in. Her light purple hair swayed with her steps.
‘…She’s like a flower.’
Kevenriak couldn’t take his eyes off her.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Kevenriak held his breath, hoping she wouldn’t see him. He didn’t want her to run away like everyone else.
And that’s how he met Reina Hart.
‘I hope I see her again.’
The young prince became loyal to that hope.
From the next day, he started watching Reina from afar.
“The time is passing so slowly…”
The day after that.
“Damn it. Did the author put me here just to suffer?”
And the day after that.
“Ah. The world is so beautiful.”
And today, like every other day.
“…”
Kevenriak was sweating in the bushes.
Standing still, her silver eyes were staring directly at where he was hiding.
‘I can’t get caught…’
Who would be pleased to know they were being watched by a monster?
“Lady Hart? Is there something over there?”
“No.”
Her attendant asked, but Reina turned her head and continued walking as if nothing had happened.
“Just thought there might be a cat.”
Kevenriak heard the sound of her footsteps fade into the distance and let out a small sigh of relief.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
‘I can’t pretend I didn’t notice now.’
Reina shook her head slightly as she strolled through the garden. She’d noticed it since the day before, but now that she was aware, she wondered how she hadn’t caught on sooner. The constant feeling of being watched was so strong that her cheeks stung.
‘How can I ignore it.’
It was hard to pretend not to notice when someone was hiding everywhere she went, staring at her. Did that kid think he was some kind of wild cat?
“Lady Hart, you should avoid going that way.”
The Emperor’s attendant whispered to Reina.
The spot he showed was where Reina had stopped earlier, that part of the garden that led to a shabby old house tucked away behind some wild trees.
“Why’s that? It’s just another one of the countless palaces, isn’t it?”
“Well, uh…”
When Reina asked, the attendant hesitated.
He had mentioned it in passing because he noticed her looking at the Fourth Prince’s palace. But now it seemed like she didn’t know.
He realized he’d made a mistake and fumbled for words.
“Well, uh… There is someone who Empress doesn’t like it, so…”
“The Empress doesn’t like?”
“Yes, yes. It’s fallen out of her favor, so no one dares go near it. If you get involved, you might end up punished…”
The attendant lowered his voice as he saw Reina’s expression harden.
Though she had become more approachable recently, the young genius mage had once been known as someone no one dared to talk to.
Just being near her used to feel like being hit by a cold wind, and she was famous for being merciless.
Some even joked that she had dragon blood in her and couldn’t feel emotions. Of course, that was just a rumor.
“Lady…?”
The attendant’s voice trembled in fear.
But contrary to his worry, Reina wasn’t paying him any attention.
Because as soon as he had started speaking, a translucent screen had appeared in front of her.
The night belonged to the hyenas. After being defeated by the lions during the day, they found an abandoned lion cub. They spat on it, kicked it, and threw it around mercilessly. The little beast was so weak that it couldn’t even cry out.
…
The small child didn’t know how to resist. This was life for him.
But just because he was used to it didn’t mean the pain went away. Long nights passed without sleep due to the constant suffering.
This was clearly a description of Kevenriak’s past from the novel.
Reina glared at the translucent screen that only she could see, furrowing her brow.
‘What’s the point of showing me this?’
In <The Garden of Betuzenia>, most of the major events were triggered by Kevenriak, the tyrant of the Betuzenia Empire and the main antagonist. For the two protagonists, those events were milestones they had to overcome to solidify their love and reclaim the Tunthera Empire.
But for that to happen, Kevenriak first had to kill off his entire bloodline and ascend to the throne.
‘Even if I know the kid’s growing up miserable, there’s nothing I can do about it.’
The harsh backstory he was experiencing now was necessary for his later transformation into a tyrant. Ignoring it was the logical thing to do.
Just as Reina was about to look away, another message appeared in the translucent window.
The child’s life was nothing but darkness, without a single ray of light.
A frustrated sigh escaped Reina.
“What do you expect me to do about this?”
“I-I apologize! That was a slip of the tongue!” the startled servant said, waving his hands in a panic.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Two days later.
…
Reina stood in front of the overgrown hedge. Her familiar silver eyes took in the sight of the ugly, neglected pavilion beyond. A deep sigh escaped her chest.
Even if she felt like a pawn in some unknown entity’s game, there wasn’t much she could do about it.
“Baroness, your meal is ready.”
As a guest of the palace, Reina was treated to luxurious meals every day. She was a war hero, beloved by the Emperor himself, so it was only natural.
That day, just as she was about to cut into a glistening piece of steak, something changed.
“…?”
Her brow furrowed at the translucent screen that appeared in the air. She set down her fork and picked up her spoon, trying to ignore the intrusive text as she continued her meal.
The child had never tasted the warm soup before.
She froze.
Reina looked down at the food she was about to eat. It was a rich, steaming stew filled with hearty ingredients.
“Baroness? Are you done already?”
“Yes.”
“But you haven’t eaten anything…”
And that’s when it all started.
Every time Reina tried to eat, the narrative about Kevenriak would pop up, blocking her vision. She tried ignoring it and forcing the food down a few times, but it felt like she was swallowing sand.
“Ugh, seriously!”
After two days, Reina finally gave in.
“I don’t care if his backstory is tragic or not, but at least let the kid eat properly! He’s still growing—what if he doesn’t get tall because he didn’t eat? Who’s gonna take responsibility for that?”
Whether it was trying to induce guilt or something else, there was no way she could win when it involved her meals. Slamming her hands on the table, she stormed into the kitchen.
And that’s how she ended up near the Fourth Prince’s pavilion.
…
Reina glanced down at the bushes where Kevenriak was hiding. Then, she spread a blanket on the ground and sat down. From inside the bushes, she could hear faint rustling as a few leaves were brushed aside.
