The Dream Life || Revamped

Chapter 17*

"Ungrateful brat," Phoenix snarled as the servant brought Aries a fluffy omelet over fried rice. "Why can't you eat the food that has already been made? You always expect the freshest of the fresh. It is a waste." Aries's left eye twitched. His father took every moment to belittle and degrade Aries. Aries was already dealing with that treatment from his summer tutor, Mister Strauss, and his younger siblings had to deal with Mister Strauss too. Luckily, Mister Strauss was no longer working for the family.

Aries crossed his arms. He clicked his tongue as he exchanged plates with Gemini. Phoenix raised an eyebrow. His son was acting awfully nice to Gemini. He rubbed his jaw, taking a closer look at Gemini. Monoceros noticed and laughed weakly. He grabbed Phoenix's hand. "My dear, let's not hurt our son. He had just just gotten back from his studies at Saint Julian," he giggled. He wrapped his hands around Phoenix's strong forearms. Phoenix looked at Monoceros and glanced at the end couple. He sighed and nodded.

"Of course, my love," he whispered. Aries let out a silent sigh of relief. He smiled, grateful that his mother intervened. Although Monoceros was rarely there for him during his childhood, Aries still loved his mother. Monoceros tried to see Aries as much as he could, but Phoenix and Mister Strauss kept preventing Monoceros from even being near Aries. It was cruel to keep a mother away from his firstborn child.

Cetus smiled weakly. He looked at his son and rubbed Gemini's back gently. Gemini was in a better mood. He sliced the egg omelet open, watching the gooey inside melt all over the plate. Gemini Gemini happily. He munched happily on his breakfast. "Woah, Gem, be careful not to eat too quickly!" Circinus warned. "We can't let you have an upset stomach!" Gemini laughed and nodded.

Musca stared at her food. She didn't have an appetite. She picked at her food. "Musca, stop playing with your food," Phoenix snapped. Musca flinched. She nodded her head rapidly. She held back her tears as she ate. Monoceros glared at Phoenix. His husband could never read the room. It was saddening and upsetting. Phoenix looked at Monoceros and rolled his eyes. "Our daughter is engaged to the grand duchess Cassiopeia Suzanna Armand, and she needs to be in perfect condition if she wants to bear Cassiopeia's children."

"B-But father... I am pregnant," Musca answered. The dining hall went dead silent. Phoenix stared at her with shock. Musca's lips quivered, and she started bawling her eyes out. "When we visited the Grand Duchess last month, me and her decided to have some fun, and now... well I'm with child. I-I didn't want to bring this up to you because I know you will get mad at me!" Phoenix was shocked. He furrowed his brows with concern.

"My dear Musca... it is okay," he replied. Musca sniffled. She was confused. Phoenix had a rule station stating that she wasn't allowed to get pregnant while engaged to the grand duchess. She rubbed her stomach. Phoenix stood up and walked over to Musca, hugging her tightly. "My darling daughter, it is okay if you're with child. I still love you."

Aries's mouth went agape. A pained smile appeared on his face, and he started laughing. He covered his face, and his laughter soon turned into an anguished cry. "So this is how it is! You set this dumb fucking rule, but you don't give two shits about it!" He screamed and shot up. He pulled up Gemini and lifted your Gemini's shirt. Phoenix gasped when he saw Gemini's baby bump. "Fucking surprise, Dad! Gemini is pregnant, and I'm the father. You're going to be a grandfather!"

Phoenix let go of Musca. He scoffed and crossed his arms. He was speechless. He should've known that Gemini was pregnant. Aries would have still been the same, sailor-mouthed degenerate if Gemini wasn't pregnant. Children really do change a man. "Your engagement to Gemini is off," Phoenix stated coldly. He squeezed Musca's shoulder tightly. Musca gasped. She looked up at her father with shock. Aries laughed and pulled the shirt down to cover Gemini's bump. Gemini whimpered and sat down. He hugged his mother tightly, knowing that his pregnancy was going to build more tension between Aries and Phoenix.

"Our engagement is not off," Aries said coolly. "I fell in love with Gemini the first moment I met him, and this engagement just made me love him even more. I don't care what you do to me, but you will not intervene with my marriage to Gemini. He is my wife, and he is the mother to my children." Aries had had enough. He was tired of his entire life being controlled by his father and Mister Strauss. He barely had a support system; he was never allowed to see his own mother until he turned thirteen; and he was loved less than his younger siblings. He was only seen as an heir to the Arlington Duchy as a great ruler with a cold heart.

The moment he met Gemini, he was eight, and Gemini was five. He fell in love with Gemini's kindness, and he would always be near Gemini. Aries knew that their age difference was a little extreme, but Aries didn't care. He was so glad when he and Gemini got engaged two years ago. He didn't show it at the time because he had to keep up his cold and brash facade, but things were different. Aries was different, and Phoenix could see it. Phoenix curled his fingers into two tight fists. He knew he was being unfair, but he raised Aries to be a ruthless duke. He looked at Gemini and scoffed. Gemini had made his son soft.

Cetus could see a cruel smile appear on Phoenix's face, and his eyes widened in shock. "Your grace, do not do anything harsh to my son!" He begged and wrapped his arms around Gemini protectively. Gemini glanced at Phoenix and let out a frightful sob. His night terrors were coming back. Stress and fear was not good for the twins, so Gemini was trying to calm himself down. He buried his head into Cetus's chest. Aries was silent. He watched Phoenix slowly walking around the table. Phoenix grabbed Gemini's hair, earning a cry from Gemini. Tears ran down Gemini's cheeks as he tried avoiding Phoenix's bold golden eyes.

Circinus shot up. "Father! Stop!" He screamed. "He's in distress!" Phoenix glared at Circinus. Circinus was the middle child, and he was never going to be duke. He knew he would never be the duke, and he didn't want to be the duke. He wanted to be a doctor. He knew that distress and fear could cause a miscarriage. "He is going to miscarry if this continues!"

"And that's what I want!" Phoenix screamed. He only allowed Musca to be pregnant because she was already engaged to the grand duchess of Andrial, and he knew that their rules were different. Aries and Gemini were under his jurisdiction, and he could do what he wanted to control them. Gemini needed to be strong. He looked at the ground. He was pregnant with Aries's children. They made their children out of love, and he wasn't going to let an old, deranged monster rid him of the twins. Gemini punched Libra, and he caused Libra to have a bloody nose. He knew the dangers of punching Phoenix, but he wasn't afraid. He was going to be a mother, and his own mother taught him to never let a man dictate his choices.

Gemini curled his fingers into a fist, and he punched Phoenix in the stomach. Phoenix's eyes widened, and spit flew out his mouth. Everything became slow. Time was slowing down. Monoceros and Musca covered their mouths. Cetus's eyes widened in shock. Volans was eating a sausage, and his mouth went agape when he saw Gemini punch Phoenix. Circinus pursed his lips. Aries grinned. There was his darling Gemini. Gemini breathed heavily and stood up. Phoenix fell onto the floor, and he rubbed his stomach. He heaved, trying to breathe. He looked up at Gemini. "You fucking bitch!" He screamed. "Do you have a death wish?!"

"No, you're the one with the death wish! I am going to tell his majesty, the emperor, about the cruelty you have put me and my husband through!" Gemini screamed. "I will tell the emperor, your nephew, about the abuse you and that monster Pavo Strauss have put my husband and his siblings through! I will tell the emperor everything! And I will have him strip you of your title as the duke and make Aries the duke! Because I know damn well that Aries will be a better duke than you!" Gemini had witnessed the abuse, and he had seen them since he was five. He was the one who bandaged Aries's wounds. Now that they were engaged, Gemini wasn't going to let anyone hurt his fiance ever again. Gemini grabbed the collar of Phoenix's shirt and pulled him up. "You don't know who you were messing with the moment you arranged my engagement to Aries."

The hall was dead silent. Gemini let go of Phoenix, and he looked at his fiance. "Pack your stuff. Let's head home," he demanded. Aries smirked and nodded. He grabbed Gemini's hand and started dragging his fiance out of the dining hall. Musca stood up. She gasped and bit the inside of her cheeks. She looked over at Phoenix. Her father stood there shocked. There was a chance he wouldn't be the duke anymore. Phoenix chuckled and started laughing. His son had grown up.

He looked at the door and then at Gemini's parents. "Your son has been a miracle for this broken family."