Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee by KIKI

Chapter 923: The Second Way to Please a Daughter

Alina propped her chin up, smiling warmly as she reached for the medical kit to tend to Tina's face.

Tina's lips curled faintly. "This coat of mine hasn't even taken shape-it's not even drafty. Might as well just give up on it entirely."

Alina frowned slightly, her hand applying the ointment a bit heavier than intended. Tina hissed in pain, teasing, "You're really my mom, huh? Got yourself a husband and no room left for your daughter~" "Shut up. Or I'll slip and make it hurt even more." Alina grabbed Tina's chin with a light pinch.

The mother and daughter bickered back and forth in their usual playful banter. Occasionally, Tina would slip in updates regarding her latest investigations.

"Remember the case I mentioned before-the one about a woman's heart being removed? It wasn't a coincidence. There've been more disappearances in other places. Yesterday, Uncle and I tracked it to a village. If my instincts are right, that place is crawling with snipers."

"And here's the strange part. When Uncle and I entered, no one fired at us. Normally, they'd have taken us out immediately."

Alina's brow furrowed deeply. After a moment of silence, she spoke gravely. "There's a strong chance that you and Jared are carrying something they need."

Tina nodded in agreement, though the question lingered-what exactly could they possibly have that was so important?

She dipped a fingertip into a glass of water and began sketching symbols on the dining table-three of them, etched from memory.

"These symbols," Tina said, her tone serious. "I saw them in the village yesterday. They're simple but strangely difficult to replicate. This is the best I could manage."

Alina tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as she studied the symbols. A flicker of recognition crossed her face. She murmured, "I've seen these symbols before. They weren't in any domestic texts-I think they came from a book published abroad."

she continued. "It might take me some time to

understanding. "Mom, I'll have to trouble you with this. I need to know what's behind all of this-it'll help us plan our next

asked, stepping into the room with two trays in

refusing to answer. Her clear eyes glanced at the

of toast, topped with fried eggs and ketchup. To add a touch of charm, Ruud had drawn two large smiley faces on the toast with the ketchup,

moment, her expression unreadable. Without a word, she shoved a

of approval. But Tina remained silent, eating

Ruud rubbed his hands nervously. "Sweetheart, how does it taste? If it's not

expectantly, her gaze practically demanding

better if he spent this effort trying to win over her mom instead. She chewed thoughtfully and finally

a few

mouth, he regretted it. He remembered the mess he'd left in the kitchen, the pasta that

glanced at him briefly before finishing her first piece of toast and starting on

cake using red salad dressing. It was a crude attempt, but the design was recognizable. Tina used her fork to cut out the

to the kitchen. He returned with the remaining food and a pitcher of freshly blended soy milk, though

picked up her fork and stabbed at the unrecognizable, charred

his nose awkwardly and shook

at the disaster on the plate, her expression strained. Despite that, she patted Ruud on the shoulder encouragingly. "You've just started learning. Keep practicing, and ask the kitchen staff to guide you. You'll get

speared a piece of the pasta and placed it on Tina's plate. "You said wasting food

stared at the blackened pasta. Feeling thirsty, she grabbed

soy milk properly. Also, I think I'll delegate this 'great mission' to Ruud