The next day under the sea, Akauriana would go outside the Mermaidiana grounds, to visit her friends from time to time. Even if Nixie is the only mermaid who wants nothing to do with her, the other mermaids would like to have her around. Everyday they will talk about the human world, which excites the little mermaid even more. Lee Lee, on the other hand, gets even more hyper as the conversation with the young mermaids continues to get interesting for Akauriana.

"So, Akauriana. Since you're the only one out of all of us here who is a princess, do you have a Prince Charming in mind?" Lee Lee asked her.

The little mermaid blushes away, twirling her hair.

"I don't know. That thought hasn't occur to me that much." Akauriana said.

"Ooh you should be lucky." says Lee Lee. "All the merboys in the sea would love you."

"Sure. Maybe so." said Akauriana, looking up at the surface. "But I can't help but feel that there's something more than a ordinary royal life."

"I hear you, girl." said Taliah. "You shouldn't waste your time with men. They're not worth marrying for life. If I was a princess, I'd rather rule the kingdom by myself than just to set myself up with a boy I don't love. Above all, I don't trust boys nor men."

"Well listen to Miss Independent over here!" Paulina joked as she swims up to the mermaids.

"I'm glad you're not that kind of princess, Akauriana." says Taliah.

"Why thanks for the compliment." said Akauriana as she continues on. "My sisters will make fun of me quite often because of my rebellion."

"I can see that, girl." said Taliah.

"I wish I had sisters like that." says Lee Lee, getting all bubbly. "Someone to talk to, gossip with, do our finger scales, comb each other's hair and-"

"I believe we all get the picture, Lee Lee." said Isabella, cutting her off.

All the mermaids laughed. Nixie, who is sitting by the corner of the reef, watches them from a yard away. Disgusted by what she's seeing, the edgy mermaid swam away without a word. Lee Lee turns to see her leave.

"I wonder why Nixie don't like hanging around us anymore?" the cheery mermaid said, wondering. "Doesn't she like us anymore?"

Taliah shook her head.

"Nah! Let her be like that." says Taliah, unimpressed by Nixie's behavior. "Her attitude is getting on my nerves anyway."

"What is her problem anyway?" Will wondered.

"Who knows and who cares?" says Paulina. "If that's how she wants to be, so be it."

After a long day of engaging with their conversation, Akauriana immediately remembers that she should be home for dinner. The fiery haired little mermaid rose up from the rock.

"You're leaving, Akauriana?" Isabella asked.

"Yes. I have to be home before dinner." said Akauriana, nodding.

"A royal dinner!?" Lee Lee exclaimed excitedly. "Ooh I'd give up everything here just to have the most delicious feasts in all the seas!"

"I guess we'll see you later, Akauriana." says Taliah, smiling.

"Sure. I'll come by again." said Akauriana, swimming away. "I promise. Bye!"

The mermaids wave their goodbyes as Akauriana leaves the secret sanctuary and is now heading home to her kingdom of Mermaidiana. By the time she enters the palace, she was stopped by her grandmother the minute she swam in the halls.

"Young lady! Do you have a moment?" asked the grandmother.

The little mermaid turns to her and nods. Then she enters her grandmother's chamber. The elderly lady wanted to speak with her about the day on her sixteenth birthday.

"You wanted to speak to me, grandmother?" Akauriana wondered.

"I wanted to see if you're doing okay, my sweet granddaughter." said the grandmother. "I've barely see you for the last couple of days. I hope you're still not upset about your birthday celebration."

"No, not at all." said Akauriana, happily. "I'm over it. Really."

"I know your father may be a difficult man." said the grandmother. "But please don't hold a grudge against him, my dear. He's only trying to protect you and your sisters."

"From what?" Akauriana wondered, debating on forgiving her father. "Humans? I haven't seen what they look like. If only he understands me."

The grandmother swam over to comb her granddaughter's hair.

"Neither have I, Akauriana." says the grandmother as she runs the comb thru Akauriana's hair. "But I do picture that they are sure different than our kind."

"Really?" Akauriana beamed cheerfully. "What are they like, grandmother? Please tell me. I must know."

"Alright alright, my dear." chuckled the grandmother. "Well, as far as I can recall, human beings are vast but strange creatures. Yet, extraordinary in similar ways. They are completely different unlike anything we ever seen before."

She puts the pearls in the little mermaid's hair as the old lady went on with her story.

"The only slight difference between humans and merfolk is what lies down here." says the grandmother as she points at her tail. "We merfolk only have a fishy tail in which humans finds them to be very ugly. They prefer those stiff clumsy little limbs they call 'legs'."

"Oh! Legs!" Akauriana exclaimed in surprisement. "I knew it!"

"Yes, sweetheart. Legs is what humans have." says the grandmother. "And they need those legs to move around up on land."

As the grandmother finishes putting her last pearl in Akauriana's hair, they must now prepare for their dinner.

"Come now, child!" said the grandmother, escorting Akauriana with her to the dining room. "We must join the family at the dining table."

"Yes, grandmother." Akauriana nodded.

The royal mer-family have all gathered together in the royal dining room. Chefs and servants prepared the extraordinary feasts, cuisines and galore. They settled the food down at the table. Dinner is served. They begin eating their food in a well-mannered fashion. The mermaid princesses chatted away, gossiping about everyday sea life, mermen, jewelry and performing royally tasks. Akauriana, on the other hand, remain quiet. She kept everything to herself in which makes King Aquarion worry about her. He's not eating if she's not eating. The grandmother too became worried about the both of them.

"My son. Are you alright?" the old lady asked.

The sea king snaps out of his daze and now turns to his mother.

"I'm fine, mother." says the king.

"Now please eat." the grandmother urges him.

King Aquarion eat the rest of his hazel seaweed soup. Then he stops when he notices that Akauriana is not eating her food. She's too busy daydreaming of the human world above.

"Akauriana?" says King Aquarion, wondering if she's okay.

The little mermaid turns to face him.

"Oh, father." she said, snapping out of it herself. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, dear." he responded. "It's just that you've been awfully silent for the last couple of days."

"I just had a lot on my mind. That's all." said Akauriana, looking away.

King Aquarion knew that his youngest daughter's strange gesture was his fault. Remembering about her past birthday ball, he tries to make it right with her. But instead, making it worse for the both of them.

"Look, Akauriana." said King Aquarion as he tries to make a calm appeal. "I am truly sorry for yelling at you on your birthday but try to understand that I'm doing this for you and your sisters."

"Yeah, I know." said Akauriana. "Grandmother told me so."

"Then why are you not eating your meal?" the king asked his daughter. "Your food is going to get cold."

"I'm not hungry, father." said the little mermaid.

The sea king became very concerned about her. Knowing about the incident days ago, one of her sisters began ease dropping on the conversation and bring up Akauriana's mishaps on her birthday ball.

"I bet she still swooning over those stupid ugly human beings!" snaps Ondina, the second oldest sister.

"Ondina! Knock it off!" says Leah, the middle oldest sister. "We agreed not to bring this up in front of our father!"

"What!? I'm just saying that something is wrong with Akauriana!" Ondina remarks harshly. "I don't know what made her so interested about them. I say they're all hideous. Who would like them?"

Offended by Ondina's words, Akauriana fired back at her sister.

"They are not hideous!" Akauriana shouted. "Why would you say that when you don't even know what they look like!?"

Mya chimes in to defuse the argument of the sisters.

"Could you girls please keep it down!?" pleaded Mya, eating her sea-chips. "I'm trying to have a peaceful meal here."

"Tell me about it." said Starmy, the forth sister.

"I call dibs on the sea-sauce!" said Nia, the other sister as she helps herself with the sauce.

Lastly, Coralline, the eldest sister tries to calm Akauriana down after her disagreement with Ondina.

"C'mon, Akauriana." said Coralline, comforting her. "Don't let Ondina push your buttons."

"Why do merfolk hate humans?" Akauriana asks her sister. "What did they ever do to us, to make everyone despise them so much?"

"They took our mother away, Akauriana." said Coralline. "That's why dad forbids everybody to ever be in contact with them. You'll understand where he's coming from someday.

"Oh you shouldn't mistake all humans for wicked ones." Akauriana suggested.

"Please don't upset him than he already is." says Coralline.

Even if Coralline is trying to keep the peace with her sisters, Ondina made it worse. She keeps telling Akauriana that human beings are nothing but scums of the earth. This offends the little mermaid even more and the sisters can't stop arguing. All of the talk about humans made King Aquarion lose his patience. In his wrath, he grabs his trident and taps it on the floor, making a loud thundering sound.

"ENOUGH!" roared King Aquarion, fed up with the argument. "No one is to speak of humans ever again! Especially you, Akauriana! Do you all hear me!? NEVER AGAIN!"

"Yes, father!" said the mermaid princesses.

Upset once again due to her father's temper and her sister's dismay, Akauriana felt the need to get up from the table.

"May I be excused, grandmother?" she asked.

The grandmother sadly nodded. Akauriana swam off, exiting the dining room. The king felt distressed that Akauriana left. The mersisters all glared at Ondina for it is her fault that she's upsetting her youngest sister.

"Now look what you have done, Ondina!" shouted Nia.

"Yes! Must you get under everybody's scales!?" scolded Leah.

"I hope she's okay." said Coralline, worrying about Akauriana.

In the princesses' chambers, the little mermaid lies down on her pillows, feeling rather sad about her siblings misunderstood her. Then she looks up at the surface once again. Though it's painful to remember that other merfolk thinks she's crazy for being interested about humans, she also remembers her mermaid friends who don't judge her for it. They are into the same thing as she. For that, she refuse to feel so down, knowing that they have her back no matter what. Akauriana thought about them all day and then fell into a deep sleep.