Clara knew better than to let Joachim drive, but considering the emergency of the situation, he knew better than letting common sense take hold of her.

The ride from home was calm and clear in her mind until Joachim pressed a button with an ice flower on it and then it was a blur. From what she remembered she heard cries and shout of indignation as the siblings passed by at the speed of light.

Okay, maybe she was exaggerating a bit, but hey ! That's what she was feeling at the moment.

As they exited the market part of the Kingdom, Clara saw from afar the gate of the castle.

"We're almost arrived, brother. Slow down !"

The blue-haired koopa nodded through the wind, but when she didn't feel the kart slowing down, she repeated, "Joachim ? Can you please slow down ?"

There was a moment of silence before Joachim replied in a small voice, "I can't."

"...What ?"

"I can't ! When the icy boost was activated, it must have damaged the brakes ! We can't slow down !"

"Then try to turn ! We can't damage the gate, and even less ourselves, even if we have helmets…" The last part was a murmur.

Following his sister's advice, Joachim tried to turn, but the speed combinated to the wind made the wheel impossible to be rotated.

"I can't turn !" If Clara wasn't a cold-blooded reptile, her veins would have become icy as her eyes widened in shock. "We're gonna crash ! Hang tight !"

When her claws were tightly gripping the back of the seat, she knew that there would be a world of pain.

The kart went even faster than Clara thought was possible and at the moment two Toads slowly opened the gate, as they were supposed to do. But when they saw the Dragon-Koopas in a Fast and Furious mode, they panicked and ran away to the inside of the castle, probably to warn their Highness of the situation. In their rush, they left the main doors wide open, leaving it also open to the crazy kart.

It would have been a problem if there wasn't a fountain right in the middle of the path.

"CAREFUL !!!" Clara didn't know if it was her or Joachim who said that, but at this moment, time slowed down.

She saw the kart crashing on the fountain, throwing the teenager and the child to the door at an absurde length and speed. Thanks to the helmet, Clara barely felt anything in the head (though she could say that there would be a small bump underneath her hair). The same could be said to Joachim. However, because of the speed they drove in, her head was spinning and the world spun around her, so the princess had trouble finding her footing and her vision was all blurry as there were spirals instead of eyes. She vaguely heard a "Lady Clara !", but she couldn't pinpoint the owner of this voice. She then saw a figure of a royal blue color and another one of a turquoise color, and she bowed.

Or tried to as she stumbled on her feet and trembled, "G-good -M-morn-n-ning, Y-your H-highn-ness K-klerv-via, D-d-dad."

The scene is quite comical for Joachim, as he never saw his sister like this. But for the three adults, it was anything but funny.

Kamilia was helping Clara maintain her position ("Déjà vu" she thought with a bit of sarcasm as she remembered what happened in front of their home) as she screamed at Joachim (who only got a bump on his head) for being an imprudent fool twice in less than an hour, followed by their father's murderous glare, meaning that he won't get away with only a scolding from the nanny.

Ludwig von Koopa has grown very much from the last time. The short and somewhat pudgy 19 years old Koopaling became a large and bulky Dragon-Koopa whose height could probably rival Bowser's. His famous overbite, which Joachim inherited from, was still present, though a bit larger. He also grew a goatee and his wild blue hair were messier, yet were still neat. The bracelets he once wore were now replaced by similar but spikeless, and added one to his neck to show his strength. In his hand was his wand, one of the three objects he took with him when he left Darkland.

Queen Klervia is a Dragon-Koopa in her late thirties. Her long mint green hair was tied in a high bun with a pearl hairpiece and she was wearing a blue pearled necklace with a rectangular Tourmaline of the same color as her hair at the center. Her dress was also mint green with white underneath and blue high-heeled shoes. Despite her calm and formal appearance, Clara knew that the way her tired blue eyes narrowed and the waving of her fan meant that she was more than annoyed.

"If you have finished with your scrambling, I would like to say something."

Clara tried to stop her trembling as Joachim approached and refixed his hair to hide the bump. Though they were already a mess in everyday life.

"Your Highness. Kamilia went for us and said that it concerns the Eight Prisms. Is it true ?"

The Eight Prisms. The famous treasure and main source of protection of the Jewel Kingdom. Though their names are Eight Prisms, they're in fact precious gems, each of them containing a power so amazing that it's dangerous. Only the Queen can carry the Prisms without risking a decline of her mental health.

A month ago, a beanish thief named Popple had heard about the Eight Prisms and tried to take them. But his plan became vain when Ludwig and Klervia stopped him and blasted him away at the other side of the galaxy. Unfortunately, the Eight Prisms were touched by the explosion Ludwig had created, which was an unplanned side-effect of the incantation.

Because of the noise, people became aware of the information overnight. They panicked and kept asking if the kingdom was in danger. But Klervia and the council were able to calm down the commoners before a scandal blew out. Today, it was calmer, but people were still on edge and avoided leaving the town unless it was necessary.

"Yes." Klervia answered, "We received this morning a letter saying that one of the Eight Prisms has been found and they are waiting for us to recuperate it."

"Which Prism had been found ? Who found it ? And where is it ?" Joachim asked with his usual childish curiosity. Klervia raised her hand, making the youngest silent.

"It was Prince Enzo who sent it last night. He said that he wasn't sure which one it was, but the scientist who analyzed it was sure it was one of them. Considering the time it was, I have written back this morning saying that you will come as soon as you can."

"Alright- wait… what ?" There was surprise in Clara's usual calm tone. "Excuse me, your Highness, but why us exactly ?"

"Yeah." Joachim added, "You can just send soldiers to the said place, snatch the Prism, and voila."

"It is not as easy as it sounds." Ludwig's deep voice startled the two children. "The guards might be strong, yet we cannot trust them with such a task because they have a loose tongue and become easy targets with their appearances. You, on the other hand, are children. Unless you tell people who you are, they won't send a glance past you. And you have the capacity of defending yourselves, but I don't think that will be necessary, considering that you have to go through the pipe."

That answer seemed to satisfy Clara, as her tense body became more relaxed, though she didn't lose her usual polite posture. But at this moment her eyes narrowed in reflection. "Prince Enzo ? Isn't he the prince of the Mushroom ?"

Joachim remembers bits of a book on the Mushroom Kingdom. Neighboring kingdom of the Jewel Kingdom, they became acquaintances after explaining their common discontentment against Bowser's countless attacks and kidnappings. They don't really keep contact, but if there ever was a problem in one, the other would help them in any way they can. But with the almost two decades-old peace, there was little to ask for, except that the peace continues.

It wasn't a dangerous kingdom, so the von Koopa siblings' visits will be quick and simple. If it goes as it is supposed to be and won't be an awful disaster, not only the Jewel Kingdom will regain a bit of its strength, but they can be home for dinner.

Joachim hoped there would be chocolate cake with whipped cream for dessert.

"Don't worry, Aunt Klervia. We'll go and retrieve the Prism as soon as we can."

Joachim couldn't help but remark that he saw his father's claw twitching when his sister said "Mushroom Kingdom". It must be linked with one of his famous secrets. And no matter how many times she and Joachim kept asking him about his childhood, he stayed firm on his decision, saying that he'll tell them when they'll both become adults.

Which was in 11 years, but that's okay. Clara is patient, she can wait a bit.

But the same could not be said for Joachim.

With the way his dad reacted about the Mushroom Kingdom, maybe he could find some information when they'll arrive. Just by pure curiosity, nothing else, and not to find some embarrassing moments that his father kept secret because he feared that he would be the laughing stock of his children.

Nope. Not for this reason at all.

"Very well. And be careful. You don't know who you might meet. The pipe is just outside behind the garden."

"Aye, aye, captain." The small koopa let out a mock salute and went past Clara who was already at the main doors. "The last one at the pipe is a rotten mushroom !"

As the siblings raced to the pipe, the main doors closed, leaving the queen, the maestro, and the magikoopa alone.

"You still didn't tell them anything, did you?" Unsurprisingly, it was Klervia who spoke first. She looked at Ludwig as she waved her fan to destress herself.

The only male's face was unemotional, as if the phrase of his sister-in-law didn't affect him. "I said I will tell them everything when they become adults, and I don't plan on changing my mind."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Sir Ludwig." Kamilia said quietly, "But what if they learn about it in a way or another ?"

After a long moment of silence, Ludwig sighed, "Then I'll handle the responsibility."

At these words, Ludwig left, leaving the two women alone.

"I'm surprised that Sir Ludwig let the children go into another kingdom that he has bad memories from. I'm even surprised that he let them go on their own. What could happen if the rulers know who Clara and Joachim are the children of ?"

"Kamilia." Klervia said. The magikoopa fell silent. "Ludwig and I made sure that these children were prepared enough to defend themselves. Clara has trained with her viola since she was in age, and Joachim's fire breath has been handled since the small accident with… you know."

"Yes, your Highness. But I'm worried ! What if-"

"You're always worried about things in a way or another." She interrupted sharply, making Kamila silent once again. However she couldn't blame her for worrying. As strict as she could be, Klervia loves her nephews, and she will never forgive herself if something happens.

But it was just the Mushroom Kingdom. A kingdom which has been nothing but peaceful for the last 18 years. Nothing bad will happen.

Right ?