Chapter 211
Jonas frowned upon hearing that. "Are you suggesting that we do the same thing?" he asked. Elara nodded, and Jonas shook his head.
"Doing something like that is against what our kingdom stands for, especially when you consider my position in our kingdom. If word got out that someone from the royal family did that, what would our people think?" Jonas said, shaking his head.
Gesturing at the other kingdoms, Jonas continued, "They are all small kingdoms. Doing something like this has no repercussions for them. How can we, the second-largest kingdom on this continent, stoop to such a low level, especially in our rival kingdom?"
Elara said nothing as she kept looking at Jonas. Turning around and walking away, she said, "Then we should inform the others that we are leaving since we are never going to get an audience with the Sun King."
Jonas, watching Elara walk away, was flabbergasted. He had honestly expected Elara to argue with him, but seeing her walk away, he couldn’t bring himself to follow her immediately.
Closing his eyes to think for a moment, Jonas said loudly enough for her to hear, "So how do we go about the worship?"
Elara, with a small smile on her face, turned around. "Your Highness, I know it may seem unorthodox, but if this is what it takes to be heard, we must respect their customs. It’s the only way to gain the audience we’ve been waiting for."
Jonas sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Very well, Elara. Lead the way."
They entered the temple, the air inside heavy with the scent of incense. Golden sunlight streamed through stained glass windows, casting vibrant patterns on the marble floor. Priests in flowing robes moved gracefully around the altar, where a large statue of Crepuscular stood, its arms outstretched as if welcoming worshippers.
Elara approached one of the priests, bowing respectfully. "Excuse me, we are from the Northern Kingdom. We wish to pay our respects to the sun god Crepuscular and make an offering."
They were led to a smaller shrine within the temple, where they were given candles and a small bowl of golden coins. The priest instructed them to light the candles and place the coins in a basin at the foot of the shrine.