"Start talking." Peach's voice leaves no room for argument. "Now. How could you possibly think blackmailing Mario and Luigi is going to help them?"
"It's all part of the plan."
"What plan? Did you really think I'd ever let anything like this happen to them?"
Nastasia attempts to speak up, but Peach won't let her, "No. I'm talking, not you. Like it wasn't bad enough when you brainwashed him into helping fulfill the Dark Prognosticus. But first you say you want to make amends and help Luigi regain his memory, then you turn around and do this to them? What am I supposed to believe?"
"You're supposed to believe I'm a woman of my word." Nastasia says simply. "Whether you see it or not."
"Don't do that." Peach scoffs. "I care very deeply about the people I was trusted to protect as their princess."
"Even when those people leave someone for dead?" Nastasia challenges. "Or aid them in getting rid of the evidence?"
"L's about to drain his mansion account to pay Nastasia off?" Mimi screeches.
"Yes!" Mario exclaims. "And it's all my fault. If I'd just gone with my gut and turned myself in, none of this would be happening right now. I just kept thinking it was gonna look like I attacked Wario to shut him up. And look where that got me!"
"If Nastasia's really doing this, you need to put your foot down. Don't give her one coin."
"I can't do that!" Mario reminds her.
"If you give her what she wants, she's gonna ask for more, and you'll be run out of town anyway!" Mimi fires back.
"Mario, we--" Mr. L's voice makes them turn as he enters the throne room. "Mimi?"
"Hello there." Mimi says, giving nothing away.
"What...brings you here?" Mr. L says to test the waters.
Mimi holds up the note, "You got yourself another player."
"What I'm doing to the Hero and his brother is just one step towards the endgame." Nastasia tells Peach. "You're not even part of it."
"Like hell I'm not!" Peach snaps, the language surprising even Nastasia. "That's my friends you're talking about."
"Who left Wario for dead." Nastasia says slowly, like Peach is hard of hearing. "And pretended like bringing him to the hospital made it all okay."
"He told you that was an accident!" Peach reminds her.
"And you know for a fact they're not lying?"
"Absolutely!" Peach doesn't even have to think.
"So do I." Nastasia says with a smile, throwing Peach completely off.
"Then let them go."
"As I said. All part of a master plan."
"And it's over. Now. Because Mario is not the only hero in the Light Prognosticus. If you don't want to find out just what I'm capable of, you will drop this all right now."
"Why are you lying?" Mimi asks Mr. L as she looks at the note. "Well, Mario here was very helpful."
"What are you doing with that?" Mr. L is fighting to stay calm as he comes closer.
"Fun fact: even the most skilled engineer needs his toolbox." Mimi replies. "And when I was walking with it through town, the note fell out."
"You hid my tools so you could invade my privacy?" Mr. L sounds hurt.
"Is that really what you want to talk about right now?" Mimi almost laughs. "A man is missing, you're both to blame for it, and now my friend is blackmailing you."
As she talks, Mario goes to check to make sure no one is listening, going to the other end of the throne room.
"That would've been nice to know."
"Mimi, I--" Mr. L stammers. "I was trying to keep you safe."
"L, come on." Mimi complains. "I knew you were lying to me; I straight up asked you what was going on, and you chose to double down. You could've gotten in over your head, and from the look of it, you still are! I had every right to know!"
As Mario comes back, Mr. L nods, "Which you do, now. Which officially makes you guilty by association, the thing I was trying to not allow to happen.", then adds, "Unless you turn us in."
Now Mimi's the one that looks hurt, "Do you think so little of me that I'd really do that? I just said I'd help you."
"No, Mimi." Now Mr. L's standing right in front of her. "You've been through just as much as we have. Don't add one more thing."
"Little too late for that, L." Mimi says.
"I'm sorry." Mr. L says, the relief evident on his face. "I hate that you're involved in this, and I hated lying to you."
Mimi holds up the note, "When I saw this, can you even imagine what I thought was happening?"
"Yes." Mr. L says quickly. "And I hate myself for that too."
"Should've seen me, didn't even think, I just thought you and Mario were getting up to who knows what, and I caught you with him--"
"Oh nonononono." Mr. L shuts her down, grabbing her shoulders. "Absolutely not. That is never gonna happen. I told you, my life now is it for me."
"Then can I still be a part of it?" Mimi asks quietly. "I didn't trust you like I should've."
Mario just stands behind them awkwardly before Mimi seems to remember he's there.
"So. Whaddaya say we stop Nastasia and get you two off the hook?"
"Yeah, Lu, did you track down your mansion account?" Mario asks as he comes closer.
"I..." Mr. L sighs. "It wasn't that easy."
"Did you get it or not?" Mario repeats. "What's not easy?"
"I kind of bumped into Peach. In the castle gardens."
"Okay, so what? She does that." Mario doesn't get it. "Try and ask E. Gadd directly."
"She was with Nastasia." Mr. L says bluntly.
"I won't let you hurt them." Peach says fiercely. "Both brothers are innocent."
"Mario was innocent of embezzlement." Nastasia replies. "And that plan came together so well, didn't it?"
"Wait, what?"
"Bowser was a moron; he would've failed before it even got off the ground. I polished it until it shined." Nastasia brags.
"Even so, that's not the same!" Peach argues.
"Isn't it?" Nastasia ponders. "Bowser wanted to marry you again, and Wario wanted money. Mario was just collateral damage to them. What did they care about the additions I made? This is my plan now, and the brothers are playing right into it, just like I hoped they would."
"By running them out of town?" Peach clearly hasn't figured out the big picture yet.
"A man was attacked and left for dead." Nastasia says calmly. "And now they're risking everything to stay off the hook so they don't have to leave the kingdom. Not that that will help with their already insurmountable guilt. I just know where to apply the right pressure. But you already knew this, didn't you? None of this should surprise you."
"And if I asked you to stop?" Peach asks.
"That won't do you much good now."
"When Luigi first came back to the kingdom." Peach says. "You promised me your only goal now was to fix your mistakes however you could. I'm asking you to please still do that."
"Peach is outside with Nastasia in the castle gardens right now?" Mimi says incredulously.
"Uh huh." Mr. L confirms.
"Did she do something to Peach?" Mario suddenly wonders. "Wario, the embezzlement, the--"
"No." Mr. L says quickly. "No way. Peach was shocked when I told her what was going on. But she's still friendly with Nastasia."
"How could she?" Mario doesn't get it.
"I don't think that's going to be a problem anymore." Mr. L says confidently. "She flipped when I told her what Nastasia was doing."
"You told her about the blackmail?" Mario screeches.
"She'd already told Peach about us leaving Wario for dead."
"Stars..."
"We're in it pretty deep, aren't we?"
"Actually, I'm not so sure." Mr. L says, surprising them both. "Peach is tough. She's a hero in the Light Prognosticus too. And when I told her what Nastasia's doing to us, she looked like she wanted to vaporize her. She said she could handle it."
"Do I even want to know what that means?"
"My my my." Nastasia says with a chuckle. "All that compassion and strong will, it's no wonder you were a hero."
"Answer me." Peach demands. "What's more important, fixing your mistakes, or carrying out your plan?"
"They're one and the same." Nastasia says again.
"Are you going to lay off them for money or not?"
Nastasia sighs. "Not."
Peach points, "Then leave."
"I will not." Nastasia says. "Not until I've said my piece."
"I don't know if Peach will talk her down, give her the coins herself or banish her from the kingdom."
"Or let Nastasia persuade her."
"Or you both can enlist my help." Mimi says, startling both of them. "Let me do some digging like I wanted. Maybe I'll find out where Wario is or find out something from Nastasia that she'll only tell me."
"Or we can just sit and wait." Mr. L says. "Until Peach tells us what she's going to do."
"I agree." Mario says immediately. "If anyone can talk Nastasia down, it's Peach."
"But you have me in your corner!" Mimi points out. "And I will go wherever humanly possible to get to the bottom of this."
"I know." Mr. L replies. "And I am so grateful you're even willing to do that. I am so sorry for dragging you down with us, Mimi."
"L, I promised you we're together on this." Mimi assures him. "Thick and thin, right?"
"Even when I essentially gave you full permission to drop me." Mr. L adds. "Mimi, I'm so..."
"No. I'm so." Mimi says. "I feel like a big dummy, thinking your brother was dragging you into danger after swearing he only wanted you to be happy. Boy was I wrong."
She wraps her arms around to hug him, Mario catching Mr. L's face as he refuses to meet his eyes.
"And you're sure it will work?" Peach says after Nastasia tells her everything.
"It already is," Nastasia smiles.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"You don't." Nastasia smiles serenely. "But isn't any kind of hope better than believing your friend is gone for good?"
If it had been anyone else, Peach would disagree, but it's not, so she nods.
"I'll tell him I'm paying you off. You have one chance. One. You have until Mimi's wedding."
"Done." Nastasia says, bows, then vanishes.
Mr. L pulls away first, but it's to tell Mimi, "Let's get outta here, yeah?", then nod at Mario, "We'll reach out. If you have anything..."
"I'll tell you." Mario assures him.
With that, Mr. L and Mimi leave the castle, but Mimi stops him as soon as they're at the bottom of the stairs.
"No, wait. I'm sorry, okay?" Mimi says. "I was so ridiculously paranoid when I didn't have to be."
"Hey hey hey, no." Mr. L stops her. "You were completely in the right. And it's not like I haven't done some sketchy stuff for Bleck in the past, right?"
"But I only did it because I just realized how important you are to me as a friend. And friends don't snoop through friends' stuff."
"Unless you think they're in danger." Mr. L says. "But trust me, this is all I'm doing with Mario. I just don't want to see him in big trouble. But my life is pretty great without him."
Mimi smiles, "Thank you.", and lets Mr. L hug her.
"Now let's go look over details for the rehearsal dinner, yeah?"
Mimi nods, and she teleports them away.
They never noticed Mario at the top of the stairs, watching them.