Winter Swan

Kail looked at her with absolute concentration. He wasn't acting like a cruel king anymore. There was no demand in his eyes, only love and patience. He wanted her to take her time and open up to him when she was ready.

Silje's heart ached for some reason, but she didn't want Kail to know. She turned away and said to him, "Don't do this. Why did you come all the way out here in the middle of the night? We can just see each other at school."

Kail continued to stare at her and replied, "Why? Because… I wanted to see you."

Silje blushed as she coughed in embarrassment.

"Don't say something like that…"

Kail just looked at her with a mysterious smile like the north star.

Where did the mad king go?

Silje looked at him curiously as she still couldn't believe this was happening. It all felt surreal.

Kail was the cruel king. Piercing, crazy, and cold.

But where did he go? In front of her now was a kind and gentle man knocking on her heart softly. He looked at her with genuine and quiet love, and Silje felt helpless against him.

In truth… She was falling for him. She would be lying if she said she wasn't.

Kail continued to stare at her as he whispered quietly, "That was a boring answer. I will give you the real truth. I came here because I wanted to kiss you."

And with that, he reached out and kissed her. He held her like he was afraid she was going to be taken away from him at any moment.

It was a kiss to confirm her feelings. A kiss to make sure what had happened between them really did happen.

A delicious kiss to mark her as his.

Snow started to fall soundlessly, creating a dreamy atmosphere around them. It was such a romantic night. When the kiss ended, Kail lowered his face to her ear and whispered, "I wanted to make sure it wasn't just a dream. That is why I came here to see you."

He then took her lips again, surprising her. Silje tried her best not to moan.

She wanted to yell at him that they were in front of her home in the middle of the street, but Silje didn't want to make a scene, worried that her adoptive parents and Valter might hear her.

'I don't want to get into trouble with them.'

Kail could see that Silje was making an effort not to make any sounds. He smiled in amusement.

"Of all people, I never expected to see the fierce warrior Silje Kim Pettersen to act this timidly and cautiously. It's only your house and your family."

"It's not a big deal, but I would prefer not to make a big scene out of everything for my family. Besides, I am adopted."

Silje looked at him straight in the eye and continued, "I was adopted from Korea and my adoptive parents have been taking care of me all this time. I don't ever want to cause problems for them. That has always been my motto. Don't disappoint my adoptive parents."

She shrugged her shoulders casually and added, "Of course, I have failed this goal many times before even though I try my best not to."

Neither apologetic or regretful, Silje was confident and sure of herself as usual. Kail smiled.

"So you were adopted from Korea?"

"Yes."

Kail smiled at her and said, "When I was young, I used to live in the North Pole."

"What? The North Pole?"

At the unexpected information, Silje looked at him in surprise. Kail only smiled again and explained emotionlessly as if he was talking about someone else.

"Yes. It was a very cold place where everything was frozen. It was very harsh there."

Kail studied her reaction before adding, "There, you could see the most beautiful and clearest aurora."

"Are you telling me the truth? You really lived in the North Pole? You aren't joking? Were you Santa Claus' neighbor or something?"

When Silje asked seriously, Kail laughed.

"Close. And I know where Korea is."

"Korea? You really know where it is?"

When she looked surprised, Kail replied, "Of course. It is a country with advanced shipbuilding techniques. I dropped by there when I visited Japan once."

"What? You've been to Korea?"

Silje stared at him in surprise. It was her birthplace, yet she had never been there. Knowing that Kail visited her homeland made Silje feel strange.

Kail started to walk slowly, and without a word, Silje followed him. She asked, "So how was Korea? Oh, and why did you visit Japan?"

"Well, it was part of my successor lesson, I guess," he answered nonchalantly, but Silje was surprised.

Successor lesson.

Now that she thought about it, Silje remembered hearing that Kail was the only son of Rolf Jorgen Bruntland. It made sense that Kail would have a lot to learn about his family business. She just hadn't really thought about it because Kail never mentioned his family before.

The Bruntland Group was a famous Norwegian shipbuilding company, so it wasn't a big surprise that it was involved in businesses in Korea and Japan. But still, learning that Kail had been to her birthplace shocked Silje.

She asked softly, "So what was your impression of Korea? How did it feel to be there?"

His green eyes stared at her and replied, "If you are so curious, we should go there soon. But before that, I am more interested in going on a date with you. We haven't even had a chance to explore Oslo together."

A date?

She didn't want to look so surprised anymore, so she didn't say anything. When she remained silent, Kail slowly took her hand. Silje flinched; his hand was freezing, but what shocked her more was how he took her hand to his lips.

Kail smiled gloomily and whispered, "…Silje, Silje."

He leaned towards her and she looked at his eyes. Kail slowly rested his lips on her red blushing cheek. Her heart started to beat fast as Kail whispered again, "Let's walk."

When she just looked at him, Kail smiled happily and gestured for her to walk. He took her hand again, making her raise her eyebrows.

"Kail?"

"I can't hear you. Let's just walk."

When he insisted, Silje protested, "Stop. I am not going to do whatever you want me to do. Go back home."

When she seemed frustrated, Kail suddenly pointed forward.

"Then look over there."

Silje turned around and found a beautiful scene that made her breathless.