Winter Swan

Chapter 13:

For a few days, Silje became very ill.

As soon as she came home, her body must’ve relaxed and she finally realized how much she had gone through that night. Her wrist felt incredibly painful and she came down with a severe fever. Her feet and hands also suffered from frostbite.

The emotional toll on her was the final straw and she couldn’t get out of bed the next day. She told her adoptive parents she had a bad fever and so she stayed home for a few days.

Silje desperately wanted to quit school immediately, but she had to graduate from high school. That was the only way for her to repay her adoptive parents for raising her, and it was also the only way for her to leave home legitimately.

Just as she had done throughout her entire life, she had to endure it all. Silje decided to only think about graduating and nothing else. Yet during the few days she fell ill, she suffered from constant nightmares.

“No! Stop it! Don’t!”

With such a high fever, she went in and out of sleep all day and all night. In her dreams, she saw Kail holding a knife. He was singing sweetly and walking towards her with a knife. And...

“AAAHHH!”

She woke up screaming from her bed. She panted and looked around in fear, and when she realized that she was home, not at school, she sighed in relief.

Even the king wouldn’t be able to get her in her own home.

***

There was the midnight sun in Norway.

During the long Scandinavian summer from May to July, the sun never set.

But summer was over now and the nights were cold and dark in Oslo. Somewhere here, an extravagant castle existed made of transparent glass.

Resembling Oslo’s beautiful opera house, this was the Bruntland mansion. The Bruntland family owned the biggest ship company in northern Europe, and the house represented their power and wealth appropriately.

Bruntland’s power in Norway was astonishing. It was an old influential family and its company provided half of the entire country’s ship parts export. On top of that, the Bruntland Company also manufactured various auto parts and specialty gears. In addition, it was also secretly involved in oil and precious metal businesses in Russia.

Currently, the Bruntland Group was run by its chairman, Rolf Jorgen Bruntland, and his only son Kail was the official heir to the company.

The Bruntland mansion was brightly lit.

With the Corinthian columns, marble arches, and natural wood floors, the luxurious house was bustling with hard-working servants. The extravagant marble decorations, sky-high ceilings, and large windows made the mansion look cold and intimidating.

The light shimmered quietly, and a soft classic Wagner filled the reception area.

Kail undid his buttons and his watch when suddenly, he sensed someone behind him. He turned around to find Ingrid who had come in without knocking.

Ingrid asked, “When did you get back home?”

With her short platinum blond hair and icy blue eyes, Ingrid looked elegant and unapproachable. Even at home, she was perfectly presentable in her gold two-piece spangle and neatly-arranged hair. Kail gave her a strange smile and replied, “I just got home, as you can see.”

“It seems like you are getting home later nowadays. I’m sure it’s not because you are causing problems at school, right?”

“Of course not. I would never do anything that would shame this family.”

He was clearly mocking her, which made Ingrid’s face turn even colder. She looked at Kail with hatred and warned him, “Don’t you think I know what you’ve been up to? You better remember that there are many eyes watching you at all times. If you cause any trouble, this family will end up being blamed for it. Don’t forget that all of Norway is watching you, Kail.”

“Yes, of course. Don’t you think I know that you have people spying on me, stepmother?”

When Kail replied sarcastically, Ingrid became furious.

“How dare you disrespect me this way?! Don’t you know you can’t talk to me like that?”

“Didn’t you know? This is the way I am.”

Kail threatened her with his low voice and undid the rest of the buttons on his silk shirt. Ignoring Ingrid, he took off his shirt and put on a gray shower gown. Ingrid’s eyes widened when she saw the scars on his muscular body.

Kail said to her in annoyance, “Can you leave now? I am going to shower.”

Ingrid grimaced at his tone, but Kail continued sardonically, “Or would you like to take a shower with me?”

“You bastard! You have lost your mind.”

Ingrid shook in anger but Kail lighted a cigarette and blew it in her direction.

“Then stop annoying me. Why do you keep talking to me and involve yourself in my affairs?”

At his warning, Ingrid glared at him and screamed, “You are indeed a bastard! Everyone knows what a disgrace you are to this family! How dare you act all high and mighty in front of me? How ridiculous! I suppose it makes sense you act this way considering who your mother was.”

At Ingrid’s hurtful words, Kail smiled and threw away his cigarette. When he didn’t react, Ingrid became even angrier.

Suddenly, Kail walked towards her and looked down at her menacingly.

“What are you doing?”

She instinctively realized that she was in danger. Ignoring her question, Kail stood right in front of her and spit out each word like a threat.

“I would like to be polite to you, Stepmother. You are a well-suited woman for a high-class family like ours. So, will you mind your manners, or do you want to disappear like someone we both know?”

“Kail, you...”

Ingrid’s face became pale. She couldn’t help but show the fear in her eyes as she looked up at her stepson. Kail took the chance and continued in a cool vicious voice, “You are a smart person, so I’m sure you understand what I mean, right? Stop pretending to be a victim here and annoy me. Stop interfering with my life. Don’t cross the line. Just like you said, I am an animal and I will never change.”

Smirking at her, Kail leaned forward and whispered into her ear, “Don’t wake up the beast inside me. Now if you have nothing else to say, please leave my room.”

Outside the door, Ingrid shuttered in anger and shame. She clenched her fists and murmured, “Kail... That dirty bastard...”

She went downstairs and walked into her bedroom. She turned on the nightstand and blew out the candle before getting into bed. From underneath the bed frame, she took out a bottle of brandy she hid there and took a small gulp. Wiping her mouth, Ingrid wondered how she could get her revenge on him for his rudeness tonight.

Unfortunately for her, Ingrid feared her stepson, who was known for his madness. From the first day she walked into this mansion, she could feel his hatred toward her.

Ingrid remembered the horrible incident that proved Kail’s insanity. Two years ago, Norway was shocked when the bodies of two boys were found in one of Oslo’s sewage holes. The bodies were mutilated, and the organs had been taken out. At the end of the investigation, it was revealed that the culprits were minor boys. The cruelty and the violence of the crime stunned everyone. Rumor had it that Kail was involved in this incident and even the powerful Bruntland family couldn’t make it disappear. People whispered that the Viking blood in Kail must’ve been what drove him to his savagery.

Make her disappear?

Remembering Kail’s threat, Ingrid couldn’t control her anger.

“I will get him somehow, that asshole. Who does he think he is? Everyone knows his mother was a prostitute.”

Ingrid bit her lips and toyed with her pearl necklace. She was going to have her revenge. She took another sip of her brandy.

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