Winter Swan

Chapter 1: <Prologue>

Norway’s capital, Oslo.

Norway meant “northern way.”

A beautiful city with the combination of nature and modern structures, Oslo was located on the country’s southern coast at the head of Oslofjord.

In it was a prestigious private school named Bestrum Videregaende Skole.

The four buildings of this school were of simple design similar to most of the other buildings in Norway, but the main building was specially built using white marble and transparent glass. It was so delicately detailed that it looked more like an opera house than a school.

A sharp gust of wind blew, making Silje’s black hair dance in the air wildly. It covered part of her eyes, but Silje didn’t brush it off. She just remained standing with a blank face.

It was a cold day and it was just starting to snow.

Slowly, Silje turned her head in silence. She was surrounded by individuals who were smirking at her cruelly.

“So?”

After a stubborn silence, Silje finally opened her mouth.

“So what’s your plan? You’re telling me that you plan to bully me because I’m the only Asian in the school, right? Is that it?”

Silje looked blank-faced until now. Her resting face was calm and slightly sad, and suddenly, she sneered right back at them. She looked so dangerous that the bullies hesitated for a second.

She continued, “You guys have already decided to do this, right? You just need someone to bully, that’s all, so do whatever you want. I will let you.”

As it started to snow harder, Silje smiled.

“But remember this. No matter how badly you guys bully me, you will never take away my spirit.”

After a brief hesitation, they slowly swarmed Silje and started to pull her hair.

The ground was now covered in white snow.

Suddenly, there was a loud slapping sound.

This was the first time Silje experienced violence in her life.

One year later.

Silje was standing on the railing outside the third-floor window. The classmates behind her teased and blocked her way. They called her an Asian monkey, and it looked like they were about to attack her. These were her tormentors who had been bulling Silje for the past year. Today was just like any other day where they mocked and bullied her.

“Come down right now so we can get you!”

“Dirty Asian monkey! You’re gonna get it today!”

There were threats and intimidation.

The bullies hunted her down until Silje was standing on the railing of the third floor.

She couldn’t remain here forever. What should she do to get away?

Her feet were unstable and suddenly, Silje’s eyes wavered.

It had been a year since she was bullied at school. She was so sick and tired of it. Silje was the only Asian in this private school and because of it, her classmates decided to torment her.

She was at her limit. Her classmates continued to call her names and terrorize her.

A strong wind blew, and she was a small burning fire. To the bullies, she may have looked fragile, but Silje’s spirit was very much alive. She wasn’t a dying fire but a sizzling blue flame.

Her body may have been weak, but she would never surrender. Her pride would not let her. If she gave in, perhaps her life would be easier, but Silje knew she would never be able to live in shame.

Yes. She would show them. She would choose her pride over an easy life. They may destroy her body, but they will never get her soul.

This was the conclusion she came up with after a year of being bullied.

After making her decision, Silje bit her lips as her tormentors continued shouting, “Die, you yellow monkey!”

All of a sudden, her bullies became silent with shock. Before anyone could stop her, Silje took a deep breath and jumped off the three-story building.

“Gyaa! Gyaaaah!”

Girls screamed in shock and fear.

As Silje fell, she felt calm. She made up her mind and accepted her fate. This was the end and at least she got to choose how and when to end her life.

She could hear the wind and feel the air. The cold Oslo wind felt even colder at this moment. Silje closed her eyes as she continued to fall.

“Gyaa! Somebody stop her!”

“Someone fell off the building.”

How easy it was to end a life. She couldn’t think anymore. Her mind became blank.

‘This is it. At least I didn’t surrender to them.’

Suddenly, she felt her body hit something. She expected it to be something hard, but her eyes widened quickly as she realized that it wasn’t. In fact, what her body fell onto was a living breathing being.

Slam!

She knew something wasn’t right, so when she turned to look, the first thing she felt was his hot breath and the strong scent of Eau de Cologne. She also caught the scent of blood.

When she blinked in shock, the girls nearby screamed.

“Gyaa!”

“Oh my god! Kail!”

When she looked up, she saw the dark hair and cold green eyes.

Clear emerald eyes glared at Silje angrily. She could feel obvious rage from them, and it was directed at her.

“Oh my god!”

“Look!”

The winter wind continued to blow, and she saw the black coat.

Silje finally realized what had happened. In front of the entire school, Silje had jumped off a building and landed on top of Kail Jorgen Bruntland.

The one who was called the God of Death.

With his unusual athleticism, Kail apparently caught a falling Asian girl by reflex and now he was looking down at her with disgust and annoyance.

Silje fell from the third floor of a building and was caught by Kail, the cruel king of the school. She didn’t feel relieved to find herself alive. Instead, she knew this was the beginning of her tragedy.

Kail continued to glare at her icily as if to prove her suspicion.