Winter Swan

The winter wind blew against the trees quietly and the only sound around was the snow falling.

They were at least a half-hour drive away from their school. Silje was kidnapped by Kail's gang and was brought to this place by force.

Where was she? She couldn't even make a guess.

Standing in the middle of nowhere, Silje bit her lips in the cold and continued to wait.

Kail walked towards her and Silje closed her eyes tight. When Kail stood right in front of her, he just looked down at her silently.

Silje asked, "What are you doing this to me? What is the real reason?"

The king remained quiet as if he was laughing at her.

Every time she exhaled, she could see her own white breath in the air. She shivered violently in the freezing temperature.

It was no wonder he was called the cruel king.

Bastard.

She kicked and screamed during the entire drive, but he didn't even blink. He sat in the front passenger seat and closed his eyes as if he was sleeping. No matter how much she screamed, he ignored her and didn't say a word.

Asshole!

Silje gritted her teeth. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't accept this situation. This wasn't fair. How did she get caught by such a twisted bastard? Silje bit her lips in frustration. She was so tired and cold.

Why did they bring her here? Why didn't they just do whatever they were going to do to her at school? Why here?

"Answer me! Why are you doing this to me? You must have a reason."

When she continued to protest angrily, Kail finally answered emotionlessly as if he was uninterested.

"You started it."

He must've been referring to the fall yesterday. Silje glared at him in disbelief.

"You must be mistaken. I didn't fall onto you because I wanted to."

When she started to explain, Kail continued to look at her without a word. Silje added, "There were many reasons why I jumped. Mostly, I wanted to show to my bullies what I can do. Shock them. But no matter how hard I think, I really don't see why I have to be dragged here and be treated like this. Stop this childish behavior and let me go."

"Childish?" he asked in a low voice.

His eyebrow flinched ominously. She expected him to threaten her or grab her in rage, but instead, Kail smiled.

This was unexpected.

With a serious expression, Kail explained, "Reasons… Don't think too much about it. It's pretty simple."

His dark hair danced in the wind. Surrounded by silent white snow, Kail's black fur coat looked strangely attractive. Kail looked into her eyes.

"As you can see, my left arm is broken and so you are just paying for the damage. I have to get compensated for this because unfortunately, I am not a good, forgiving person. Don't feel like this is unfair. Just think of it as paying for your mistake."

Sudden fear gripped Silje, but she couldn't just stand by and let things happen to her without a fight. Anyone would try to fight if they were in this kind of dangerous situation. Silje looked at the treacherous boy in front of her and raised her voice.

"You are speaking nonsense! What are you talking about? You dragged me here, so that should be enough. Just let me go now!"

The place became silent after her brave outburst. Quickly after, Kail's posse started shouting.

"That girl must have lost her mind! How dare she speak like that to Kail?"

"Grr. Get her!"

Kail's gang was becoming more and more furious but the king himself was smiling. Silje felt shocked as she watched him.

Kail said to her calmly, "I need to punish you until you learn your lesson."

What was he going to do to her?

What did he mean by "punishment"? He looked so relaxed that Silje couldn't figure it out. In the freezing wind, all she could do was stand and blink at him.

They brought her this far away from school, which meant that they weren't going to let her off easy.

Silje couldn't predict Kail's actions at all. If he was a simple brutish type, it would've been easier for her to guess his next move.

Then unexpectedly, Kail announced, "Let's go back now."

What? The king all of a sudden ordered his group to return.

What the heck was this?

Silje's eyes widened at his unexpected move. Kail glanced at her for a second before getting into the car. The others followed.

"Wait! You can't leave me here. I don't even know where I am! Where are you going?"

When Silje screamed, Kail rolled down the window of his car and replied coldly, "I am leaving you here. This is my punishment for you."

The car engine was already started, and he leaned back and watched her. The way he said the words sounded strangely sweet and cruel at the same time. Silje trembled in shock and fear.

Kail continued, "For your information, you are a few kilometers away from school. You can either stay here and wait for someone to help you or you can try walking back yourself. It's your decision."

Kail smiled and quietly added, "A persistent girl like you probably will choose to walk even if it means that you might lose your feet from frostbite. Whatever happens, I'm sure it will be very amusing for me."

And just like that, the window closed, and the car started to drive away.

Vroom!

As she watched the car disappear, she murmured, "They are all crazy! They must've lost their minds."

She was in shock as if someone had thrown ice water at her face. She continued mumbling to herself, "What? Leaving me here is punishment? Whatever. Does he really think I will wait here in the cold like a good little girl?"

After contemplating briefly, Silje decided there was no reason for her to wait here. She started to walk.

She wanted to run so she could get away from this place as quickly as possible, but the cruel king's confident words stopped her.

"If you think you can get away, try."

She knew he wasn't making things up. It wasn't an empty threat. The cold way he looked at her… He wasn't someone who said things without meaning them. She instinctively knew that she had to save her energy if she wanted to survive.

Silje looked at her surroundings. All she could see was miles and miles of a snow-covered field.