The corners of the Lord’s mouth slowly rose. He looked genuinely pleased.
“Carola, stop crying. Keep your wits about you.”
Carola lowered her whimpering face. She looked at the Head wanting sympathy, but he ignored her. Gaju’s eyes were fixed on Elisha.
“This one.”
“…….”
“Your bride is not an ordinary person, Lucerne.”
“I said she was an interesting woman.”
Lucerne replied as if it were natural.
“Maybe later you’ll say her 30,000 gold coins ransom was a bargain.”
Elisha lowered her eyes gently. Pretending she was ignorant of all that had passed.
***
The Head nearly scolded Arien. She just sat beside Marco, silent as the dead.
“That woman is so sexy; her looks could kill. Lucerne has quite the eye.”
Marco whispered to his wife, who was sitting down. Marco’s wife pressed her foot hard on his.
“Right, his taste is a low-life slut he can look at.”
***
The banquet quickly concluded.
Carola kept her mouth shut and didn’t even pretend to be happy. Arien glanced at Elisha with envy. Arien never received much praise from Gaju.
Gaju stared at Elisha from time to time, reigning like a king, and calling his grandchildren to talk about this and that.
“Lord, my father is always concerned about your health. He prays for the health of the Lord every worship service.”
He nodded at Marco’s words.
“I’m grateful that Merha hasn’t forgotten me.”
“Yes, he is really putting a lot of effort into this election for the Great Pope. If the Lord helps…….”
It was when Marco was fawning over the Head that Gaju gestured to Elisha.
“Come here, bird. Carola, Arien, come here too.”
Elisha slowly approached the Head. She knew instinctively that Gaju had summoned them to test them.
Merha, Marco’s father and second son of Gaju was trying to get elected to the Great Pope selection.
‘The Lord will want someone other than Merha to be the Great Pope.’
Among the candidates for the Great Pope, there was another candidate from the Cartier family. He was from a minor branch of the Cartier family that was experiencing a decline. The Head played a prominent role in the temple no matter which of the two would be elected.
He controlled the game.
Furthermore, Merha was still too young. It would have been okay for him to run in the next election. The reason why Merha insisted on the position of Pope was clear.
‘It’s to help Marco become the next Head.’
So, as if Marco’s tale was too dull to listen to, Gaju beckoned Elisha.
“Do you know what these things are?”
Gaju pointed to his grandchildren’s gifts that he had proudly displayed.
“Yes, I was working on the laundry at the time, but I heard your grand birthday party from a distance. I could only congratulate you from afar.”
Elisha replied with a doll-like face. The more Gaju looked at her, the more he liked her. Elisha’s words sounded more sincere than Carola, who was always trembling trying to act cute.
“You all think your husband’s gifts are the best. Isn’t that right?”
Gaju first looked at Arien.
“Of course, my Lord! My husband carefully prepared the bone fragments of the prophet for a long time. He was so concerned about the health of the Lord. They say that if you have a part of the body of the prophet, you will live a long life. My husband is always worried about the health of the Patriarch,”
said Arien.
Arien, the daughter of a high priest, spoke in a graceful manner. Carola’s face altered as if she was determined she couldn’t lose. She wanted to make up for being humiliated in front of Elisha today.
“Lord, please look at the painting of the artist Ilump that my husband prepared. It’s the 34th installment of a fantasy series. Carola was so really touched! The money that bought the painting was our husband’s own money that he earned! Maybe it’s because he learned from you, our husband is an excellent businessman! Our husband’s painting auction house is so successful.”
Carola praised her husband as if she had oiled her tongue. Gaju nodded. And this time, he looked to Elisha.
“Then, what do you think of your husband’s gift?”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen it, and it’s a gift that I didn’t help with, so I have nothing to say. I think it’s worthy since you received it.”
Elisha spoke indifferently. Carola and Arien seemed to be frightened by Elisha’s haughty and detached remarks.
“Why don’t you take this opportunity to glorify your husband? The one who married you. He caught a dragon as if he went rabbit hunting.”
Gaju, who was a little disappointed, gave a rare compliment to Lucerne. In fact, it was a gift that could not be compared to a frame with jewelry and a picture or bone fragments. Above all, it was a gift from Lucerne himself.
“Then I’ll be honest with you. It seems to be smaller than the Artartan dragon I heard the General caught three years ago. It’s said that it’s head was as big as a house.”
It was already quiet, and a tide of silence filled the banquet hall. Even the men sitting down didn’t say a word while. Even the wives vying for the Head’s attention now opened their eyes at Elisha wide in surprise.
Elisha calmly continued her speech, ignoring the glares asking what kind of nerve she had.
“A bigger dragon will be a gift to the 80th birthday party of the Lord. I think it means to live a long life and stay healthy until then. Besides, the General couldn’t have caught a small dragon on purpose. He’s done his best now, so in a few years, larger dragons will appear. There will be a better chance.”
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Elisha showed humility among the beggarly flattering wives. Her husband was already competent and strong, so she didn’t have to inflate him.
Additionally, Marco’s father scratched the insides of the irritated Head. The inner thoughts of Gaju didn’t want to make Marco’s father Merha the Great Pope yet. It was weighed against the intention of ‘There will be a better opportunity in a few years.’
Elisha’s victory ended the Lord’s examination to gauge the women’s abilities.