Winter Swan

Chapter 18:

Silje saw the familiar face. With platinum blond hair and clear violet eyes, it was Brigit who looked arrogant as she was surrounded by a couple of guys.

Irina murmured, “She is alone today.”

Silje knew what she meant.

Brigit wasn’t with Kail the devil today.

When Brigit saw Silje, she giggled with her friends and glared at her with disgust.

Irina said to Silje, “She is going out with Kail.”

“Kail?”

“Yup. Only someone like Brigit could date a prince like Kail I guess.”

Irina seemed to think Brigit and Kail were people of a higher level.

“All the guys treat Brigit like a goddess. She can be too much, so only someone like Kail could probably control her. Kail is...”

Thinking about the cruel king, Irina burst into laughter. Like all the other girls in the school, she looked at him with a strange mixture of fear and adoration.

“He is scary, but so hot. He has never dated anyone, probably because no one at school is good enough for him. All the girls are in love with him, but he has never shown any interest in any of them. I heard that he hangs out with Brigit only because she insists on following him around.”

Silje looked down at her wrist. As if it knew who they were talking about, her wrist started to throb. Silje wondered how Irina would react if she knew Kail was the one who sliced her with his knife.

Irina continued, “Girls like him even more probably because he is the only son of Rolf Jorgen Bruntland. Do you know how much money the Bruntland Group makes? I saw in the newspaper that the group invested in Russia recently and made a profit of over a billion dollars. Do you now understand why Kail is treated like a god at this school?”

Irina suddenly turned to Silje, who remained quiet, and asked, “You aren’t interested in the kids at school, are you? You aren’t saying much.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just been a very long time since I talked to someone like this, Irina.”

Silje thought secretly, ‘It’s not that I don’t like you, Irina. I AM lonely. Kids treat me like the plague, so of course I feel hurt. I just don’t know what to say because it has been so long since someone has talked to me nicely at school.’

That day, Silje and Irina talked for a long time, even on the school bus. Irina had a Starbucks coffee cup in her hand, and she talked with Silje smartly. Sometimes she looked astute, while other times, she talked with an innocent face. Silje thought that she would remember this conversation for a very long time.

“I failed English and grammar.”

“I failed geometry.”

At Silje’s confession, Irina smiled brightly. She took a sip of her Starbucks coffee and asked Silje, “Why do you think the kids are bullying you at school?”

At such a blunt question, Silje blinked and stared at the girl. Irina also remained quiet and waited for an answer. When she looked up and down at her, Silje asked in embarrassment, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“How tall are you?”

“I don’t know for sure. Probably over 175 cm.”

Silje didn’t want to talk about herself. She was indeed very tall even among the tallest northern Europeans at school.

Irina replied, “That’s amazing. I could see that you were tall, but wow. I’m only 155 cm tall, so you are 20 cm taller than me. Darn, I’m jealous.”

“Irina.”

Silje called out to her but Irina was deep in her own thoughts.

Finally, after a few seconds, she suggested, “I think I have an idea. You should be a model.”

“What?”

Silje was genuinely surprised and looked at Irina who replied with an excited voice.

“It’s because you’re tall and are just skin and bones. Hasn’t anyone else told you this before?”

“Irina, I’m not sure if you are giving me a compliment or making fun of me.”

Irina giggled.

“I guess your weakness is your boobs. Are you eating enough? You need to become a cookie and cake lover just like me. Yummy! Eating sweets can make you happy. It will also help grow your boobs.”

Irina pouted and pointed at her generous breasts naughtily, making Silje laugh.

She couldn’t admit it, but Silje did have an interest in modeling. She often bought fashion magazines. It started when she was younger and had planned to learn Korean from books. She spotted a magazine in a bookstore with an attractive fashion model on the cover, and she impulsively bought it.

The model wore a snow-white fur hat and had a gorgeous smile. She looked like a snow queen and she looked mysterious and dreamy at the same. Silje couldn’t help but stare at her and wonder if she would look like the model if she dyed her hair blond. Of course, she did do it and ended up being laughed at by everyone at school.

Since then, Silje never dyed her hair again, but the photo of the beautiful model was forever imprinted in her mind.

When she started to work at Niels’ cafeteria, she signed up for a regular subscription to a fashion magazine. However, she didn’t tell anyone about it.

Silje’s favorite models were Iselin Steiro, who was Norwegian, and Angela Lindvall, who was from America. She especially loved the photo of Angela Lindvall in a Bohemian outfit.

The world of models seemed so exotic and fantastic, different from the regular world. Perhaps that was why Silje loved it. While looking at the magazines, she could escape her unhappy life.

‘Maybe someday, if I get a chance... Maybe I will be able to get a beautiful photograph of myself like those models.’

Once, she impulsively thought about applying to a modeling contest she saw in a magazine. Of course, she stopped herself immediately.

Even now, she still purchased fashion magazines regularly. Silje considered telling Irina about it, but decided against it in the end. It wouldn’t change anything, and on top of that, Irina didn’t seem to be very interested.

Irina asked, “Anyway, have you thought about the reason why the kids are so mean to you?”

Today, Silje had her long luxurious black hair down, and she wore a simple oversized dress with a black fur coat. Ironically, such a thoughtless outfit looked great on Silje. Irina shrugged her shoulders and added, “Look in the mirror, Silje. You are tall and you have beautiful black hair. You are noticeable wherever you go, and that is why kids don’t like you. On top of that, you are always alone like a lone wolf.”

“I-is that so?”

Irina laughed at Silje’s surprised expression and added, “Oh, and do you know what kids call you?”

When Silje shook her head, Irina replied mysteriously, “The Asian Queen. You are always alone, but you look confident. Didn’t you know that you had this nickname?”

Silje was incredulous, making Irina laugh again. Silje smiled bitterly.

“Really? Well, I have nothing to say to that.”

“Haha, so I hope you continue to fight bravely. Watching you fired up makes me feel proud.”

At Irina’s excited words, Silje murmured quietly.

“It’s not a game, Irina.”

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