Aurora's Parents

Seeing her mood turn better, Rafael decided to focus on that topic. 

"So, how did they meet? Don't tell me your mother saw someone begging for money, then they fell in love." He said with a chuckle.

"Not like that. My father went to find a job. Since he was thrown out with only fake credentials that had nothing on it, the best he could do was look for menial jobs."

"Wait, what?" Rafael asked in disbelief.

"Yes, you heard right. My grandfather was really serious about teaching them how to live in hardship. 

He gave each of his sons or daughters a new ID without a single cent or college education."

"Did everyone survive? I doubt they could in that situation."

"I don't know the details. My father did say a few of his siblings died, but that was more because of inner fighting rather than surviving. 

Since this was part of an old tradition, they were already prepared since childhood. 

What could they do? What options did they have? They were even trained to survive in the wilderness."

"Why would your father change it then? That seemed like a good one to keep."

"He just said the era was changing. I think maybe because of all this new technology. Or maybe other things? Who knows.

Anyway, my father was looking for a job. He knocked on my mother's restaurant. At first, she wanted to reject him since he was too weird."

"Weird, how? His appearance too clean?"

Aurora shook her head. "My mother said his aura just didn't match with his background at all. 

You know some people are just like that. 

Even without doing anything, their presence alone commands people's respect or makes others want to follow them."

"Yeah, I know. So, in the end, why did your mother accept him?"

"She didn't. She rejected him to his face, telling him straight, 'If you want to work here, be honest with me. I don't care what your past was, but if you don't even have the decency to be straight, then look for another job.'"

Alex let out a chuckle, "For real? I wonder what your mother would do if she knew he was a royal prince."

"My mother? Believe me, I know her. She would say the same thing. Or maybe even say, 'Why would a prince be here? Just go back to your castle,'" Aurora replied with a chuckle.

Her face became more animated as she continued the story.

Her mom grew up in a middle-class family until, one day, her parents got scammed by one of the elite. It was a big job where they never got their pay, making them go bankrupt.

This made her mom hate privileged people.

"What happened next then? Since she rejected your father, he should have looked for another job."

"Yes, he did, but he then became curious. Every day after that, my father always came and ate at her restaurant. 

He wondered what kind of person my mother was. 

The rest was history; he stayed with her through thick and thin until he finally asked her out."

"What happened then? Since your father was a prince, and your mother hated elite people, wouldn't that become a problem?"

"Yeah, it did. My mother felt scammed when she found out. 

Why would a prince act like a homeless man and bother her every day?"

"Did he confess, or did your mother find out by herself?" Rafael asked.

He was curious as this would help him discern her father's personality. If he didn't tell her, it meant he was just the type to manipulate people from behind. 

There was also the possibility he was just someone who didn't like facing problems head-on. But considering he was the king now, Rafael didn't believe it.

The other option was to tell Aurora's mother directly. 

This would mean he was the type of person who went straight forward at problems and had a clear distinction between people he cared about and those he didn't.

Rafael felt King Epsilon should be the second one.

"No, my father told her when he asked her out."

Rafael let out a chuckle, imagining King Epsilon on one knee with flowers while the woman, in response, was scolding him to death.

"Oh yeah, in your story, you didn't tell about your grandfather and mother from your mother's side. What happened to them?"

"This… I hope you won't judge them for what I will tell you," Aurora said in a low voice.

Rafael frowned, "Don't worry. You know my own family background. Who am I to say how others live their lives?"

Aurora sighed, "This is a sensitive topic for my mother, but honestly, I don't care much since I never met them.

After getting scammed, the family drowned in debt, hopeless and with no way out, they decided to do the extreme."

"They committed suicide?"

"You could say that. On paper, it was a car accident. My mother told me it was impossible. 

Her father was a very careful person; there was just no way it happened. And a few months before this incident, my grandpa and grandma suddenly became very strict with her. 

They forced her to learn how to live by herself.

 Even the restaurant and everything were prepared for her. My mother, at that time, didn't understand why they would force themselves to take on more debt but then buy all those things."

"Why would that be weird? Maybe your grandparents thought they needed to open a business. 

After all, without income, there would be no hope to get out of debt."

"If it was only that, then yeah. But the house was also put under my mother's name. They even taught her the rules and regulations regarding debt and how to claim insurance. 

My mother was already suspicious at that time, but my grandparents just told her, 'This is just for preparation.'

But then that incident happened. Based on inheritance law, as long as the person in question doesn't take the inheritance, they also don't take over the person's debt."