Hi everyone. Really, really, sorry that I haven't update in a long time. Again, school was being chaotic and because of it, I will have to rescheduled the days when I do update my chapters. From now on, except for breaks and holidays, all chapters will be updated on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This chapter won't have any action, sorry to those who might want action, but at least you'll get to know what is happening in their lives and in the past.

To marinabtr: Thank you for you support. I lived in the U.S., but if you want to be specific, MD.

Anyway, enjoy.


Chapter 21: Facade Feelings of the Heart

-Julie's Room-

It has been already three days since Julie joined the girls. Nikora gave her a room which is between Lucia's and Seira's. Julie is in her red strawberry room, reading a book. She was childhood friends with Akari and Miyuki while already close friends with Lucia, Hanon, Rina, and Seira ever since they saved her from that cursed slumber. The next day, Noel, followed by her sister Karen. Unfortunately, Coco has left before she could become friends with her, but at least they're in good terms. Ever since she became free from her curse, she can become more happier and more causal, instead of being all formal.

She was reading a collection of fairytale stories that Noel have given her since they both love reading. For each book she finished, she would write down one of her friends name on a sticky note and stick it on the cover. So far, she has put Miyuki's name on Cinderella and The Snow Queen while at the same time, she and Akari shared Rapunzel. Another pair that shared the same story is Akari and Coco on the Swan Princess, since Akari is literally the Princess of Swans while she viewed Coco figuratively as the character. Hers would be Briar Rose since her story can relate, except there isn't a prince.

She gasped when she suddenly heard whispers in her head, "What is it? What's going on?" she closed her eyes in concentration.

"Find it... You have to find it... The jewel..." a mysterious, yet calm voice told her.

When she heard that message, she became puzzled on what to do now.

-School-

In school, Julie quickly became popular with the boys. Many were asking if she was free to hang out with them, all in which she decline the offer politely.

"Amazing, Julie is able to attract that many boys in just three days?" Hanon questioned in awe as she watched the scene. It was amazing that many boys are crowded around her desk and have those googly eyes on her.

"I wonder why she would decline their offer though." Lucia pondered at the question.

"Lucia, I'm surprise that she is your sister and your not even a bit concern for her. I mean, she may have came into this world when she was younger, but you could at least show some attention for her like a big sister does." Rina advised.

"But Noel and Karen spend most of their time separated, right? Yet, they became close. Also, Akari and Miyuki have always been together, but they didn't have to know that the other loves them as much as they do, isn't that right?" Lucia asked.

"That's not what I meant." Rina sweat-dropped.

"Then what do you mean?" Lucia naively asked. "I'd love to spend time with her, but she is mostly in her room doing homework."

"Now that you mentioned homework, I heard that she is good in almost every subject... Except in math, but she would get good scores." Hanon remarked.

"Well, I guessed because she thought that she wouldn't come to the surface again and since she was suppose to stay in her palace, she would want to learn as much as she could." Rina reminded her.

"Oh, by the way Lucia, did you finish your project?" Hanon asked.

"Eh? No way! I can't believe that I've forgotten to do it!" Lucia panic, earning her a sweat drop from both, Hanon and Rina.

-Home Ec Class-

Things seemed a bit better than the last time she returned from a mission. Asuka and the others have not bullied her ever since she has come back, which was strange, but she didn't questioned it. The terrible rumors have stopped, so that was also a relief. The Orange Mermaid Princess was making many tarts for her friends.

"Seira." a voice called out to her

She turned and smiled, "Takumi."

"What are you making?" he asked.

"Tarts for my friends." Seira answered as she puts a strawberry on top of a a tart with pink filling.

So far, she has finished four tarts. A strawberry one for Lucia, blueberry for Hanon, chocolate mint for Rina, and raspberry for Karen. On the table are bowls full of blackberries, pomegranate seeds, custard cream, orange and plum slices.

"How many more are you trying to make?" Takumi questioned.

"Five, including my own." Seira answered.

"That's a lot of tarts... How about if I help?" he suggested.

Seira looked at him and tilt her head a bit before smiling, "I would like that." she giggled.

-Pearl Waters-

When the four girls came home, Seira was already waiting for them.

"Ah, Lucia, everyone." Seira smiled as she ran up to them.

"What is it, Seira?" Lucia questioned.

"You looked happy today, did something happen between you and Takumi-kun?" Hanon teased.

"W-well... W-we did get to spend some time together..." Seira began fidgeting. "But that's not the point, come inside. Hurry, hurry!"

The girls did as she said and entered the bath house. When the girls found five tarts on the table, they now know why Seira is partially happy.

"So, this must be the surprise you were talking about in the morning." Rina guessed it.

"Mm! I made each one for you. Akari, Miyuki, Karen, and Noel already went ahead and ate theirs, but I still waited for all of you to come back home so you can try it." Seira explained.

"Well, I can tell that they are delicious. Which one is mine?" Hanon asked.

"The blueberry is yours, Hanon." Seira replied.

"Thank you, Seira." Hanon told her before taking a bite. "Mmm... It's very delicious."

"Lucia, Rina, Julie, please try yours." Seira offered.

"Okay." Lucia replied as she, Rina, and Julie walked up the table and took a bite out of the small pies. They have the same reaction as Hanon.

"Wow... It's really good!" Lucia exclaimed.

"Really?" Seira is happy of the compliment.

"She's right, it is very good." Rina told her. Seira became energetic like a tiny puppy and started to walk towards Julie.

"Thank you for teaching me, Julie." she whispered into the Red Mermaid Princess' ear.

"Your welcome. It was really fun." she whispered back before giving her a wink.

"What were you two talking about?" Lucia questioned.

"Oh, nothing." Julie teased.

-Julie's Room-

That night, Julie is in her room staring at her music box. The very music box that she buried in the beach of Japan, which conveniently is the same spot where Lucia and Kaito went during their time at the Spring Festival. Her sister has given it back to her yesterday when she found out that the girl was planning on staying.

She continued to looked at it until she reached out for the necklace that is tucked underneath her red nightgown to reveal a key. She unclasp it and looked at the item in her hands. The key bow is shaped like a heart which is pink, with silver butterfly wings on both sides of the heart. It is hold on by a golden chain and at the center of the heart-shape key bow is a white moonstone that is shaped so perfectly, it can be mistaken for Akari's White Pearl. She put the key through the slot of the lock and turn it. When she opened it, a hopeful melody flows out of it. Inside is a white immortal iris flower that is well preserved, a shoe that was given to her when she was younger, and an empty orb.

She played around with her necklace while being troubled in her thoughts.

'I wonder... What will everyone think of me if they were to find out the truth... About who I really am. This secret that I've been hiding all this time, deep within myself that not even Akari or Yuki know of.' she thought.

"Everyone would probably hate me if they were to find out. I've have done nothing, but kept secrets from them. The truth about me, Yuki's seal, me and Kyle being keys, my little sister somewhere in the ocean, but worse of all... Knowing what Shika is after... Me. Keeping the truth away is the only thing I can do. After all, I'm nothing, but a forgotten princess who rules over a somber kingdom in a desolate ocean." Julie concluded.

"That's not true... You know it isn't." a voice spoke up as a faint green light shined behind her.

She turned, "Oh, Terra Elaina."

The woman before her is Terra Elaina, the Earth Goddess. Like Aqua Regina, who holds the peace of the seas, Terra Elaina keeps the Earth peaceful. The Goddess has long honey brown hair which is decorated with many flowers. She wore a regal green dress and she carries a staff with a bright orb on it.

"You have to keep your secrets because you don't want them to feel hurt... That is why, right?" the Earth Goddess asked.

"It's true that I meant well by doing this... However, in the end, they might feel betrayed that I know so much, yet never told them." Julie countered sadly.

"In time, they will understand and you don't have to keep them all a secret. Eventually, as the events unfolds, you can slowly tell them when it's the right time." Terra Elaina advised.

"Thank you for the advice, but in the end, when everything is over, I think it's best if I remain forgotten because... It's the suppose fate of all Red Princesses." Julie replied.

"I know that it's hard, but I don't think you should take all that burden." she told her.

"I know, but I just can't helped it. I was never known of by anyone, therefore I couldn't do much to help them. Now that my wish came true and I get to meet everyone, I want to support them as much as I can... Especially when I don't have much time. Shika knows who I am, but not fully." Julie started.

"What do you mean?" the Earth Goddess asked.

"She knows that you were the one who blessed all the Red Mermaid Princesses and gave us immortality, but because I'm different- because the former princesses would passed up their pearl and throne to live a different life and I plan on not doing it... Just like Lucia onee-chan, the same will be with me. The only difference is that I already know what I'm going to become yet, I've not awakened right now. That... Is what Shika doesn't know of." Julie whispered.

"I see..."

"Anyway, about the jewel." Julie changed to a different important subject.

"Yes, find all the flower crystals and the jewel will be complete. You and Lucia must then go to the my birth place and return the jewel. It will ensure the future of all mermaids and humans. Me and my sister can finally be at peace, knowing that there will never be the conflict between both worlds ever again. And this information you can tell because you can't do it alone." Terra Elaina explained.

"That's why the monument back at home shows that. Because others before me never done it before since they weren't know, they would question what it would mean." Julie realized.

"You really are different Julie, instead of giving up this life as a princess, you continue living it- discovering new things along the way. I am so proud of you and I know my sister would be too." she told her before she faded.

"Thank you." Julie gave a small smile.

-Meeting Table-

The next morning, the Mermaid Princesses, Nikora, Hippo, and Taki are sitting at the tables to have their discussion. Nikora also invited Kaito, Nagisa, and Masahiro despite Hippo's protest of having them being involved.

Julie begins her first step of telling everyone a little history lesson. She started by explain the history of their pearls.

"Many centuries ago, after King Tamotsu let go of Aqua Regina, the Sea Goddess shed ten tear drops. The first two tears became the White Pearl and then the Black Pearl. The others- Orange, Yellow, Green, Aqua, Indigo, and Purple followed after. The last two were the Red and Pink Pearls. However, the Red Pearl was created from a larger tear because it unintentionally took a bit more from the last tear that was meant to be the Pink Pearl. Since any pearl can't hold that much power, the Red Pearl became two... A true Red Pearl- mine, and a lighter shade of red. Because that pearl was the part that originally took more from the last tear drop, it was not light enough to be considered a Pink Pearl, yet it did not have enough redness to be like my pearl." she explained.

"So, that's why you were the original princess?" Lucia questioned.

Julie nodded and continued, "Because the tear drop was so tiny, Aqua Regina didn't think it could survive to become the Pink Pearl, so she kept it with her. Eventually, the tiny teardrop formed into a premature Pink Pearl. Only us, Red Mermaid Princess know of this and we prayed for the miracle that the premature pearl could make it, since we already lost our younger sister pearl. So we continued to wait patiently until that day when Aqua Regina told us."

"So that's what happened..." Lucia trailed off, not sure what to think.

"What about White Pearl and Black Pearl that Akari-san and Miyuki-san has?" Hippo questioned.

"That's..." Julie glanced over to Akari. She communicate with her telepathically- a power that all Mermaid Princess can do if they have learned it.

"How is Yuki? Is she okay despite her curse?" her voice can be heard in Akari's mind.

"She's doing well, but she doesn't seem to understand why her pearl is cursed despite she is the second Mermaid Princess. However, I think you should tell them about our pearls." Akari replied telepathically.

"Alright." she answered through her thoughts.

"All the pearls shouldn't be cursed, however each sister pearls have a different set of links. Normally, sister pearls' links are the age and rebirth, but never it had one going down and the other follow. That just isn't the way the pearls were born out of. In other words, that means that someone has put their extra darkness into Yuki's pearl, cursing her, and anybody she touches." Julie further explain.

"So what you're trying to say is that if we aren't careful, we're going to be cursed?" Noel questioned.

"So long I wear my gloves, your safe to hold hands with me." Miyuki clarified.

"I'm afraid the only people who can help without getting affected by Yuki's curse is Julie, since she is an original princess like us." Akari replied.

"And Lucia onee-chan." Miyuki added.

"What? Why, Lucia?" Kaito asked.

"Because she will eventually become the new Sea Goddess." Akari explained.

"And also my little sister." Julie spoke up. Everyone gave her blank expression except for Akari and Miyuki. "Remember? When I told you about the other Red Pearl that took a bit from the Pink Pearl?"

"But you said it's lost." Hanon told her.

"I didn't mean lost as in gone. I meant that it's somewhere in the ocean." Julie corrected what everyone else thought.

"Does that mean that Lucia has another half-sister?" Seira asked.

Julie smiled at her as she confirms the answer, "Yes."


I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Again, sorry that I haven't updated. I'll update the next one probably at night, but I can't guarantee it, so you'll just have to check at night if it has 22 chapters. Later on, you'll know who Terra Elaina is, but I would like to know if you can guess who she is. You can write it down in the comment. See you soon (hopeful).