Scrape.
"Ah! You must not put so much force into it! You have cut through the chopping board as well!"
"M-my apologies, Shirou!"
From that day onward, Artoria received from Shirou an hour of rigorous instruction each day.
It began with cookery, and extended to the labors of the household as well—cleaning, washing, and all the rest. These were things she could never have imagined herself learning in the days when she had worn a crown.
And yet Artoria was grateful for the chance to learn. She applied herself to Shirou's lessons with all sincerity.
"Vinegar is useful for removing mold with ease. The smell is rather strong, but if you wipe it down with water afterward and air the room, that will suffice... Wait. That is far too much!"
"Ah."
To be sure, there were many mishaps at first. She had yet to master the measure of her own strength, and often used more than was needed.
Even so, Artoria possessed a natural talent for all things that required the use of the body. She learned Shirou's household wisdom with remarkable speed.
"...And what is this meant to be?"
"...A fried egg."
"...This lump of charcoal?"
There was, however, one exception.
Cooking.
Unexpected though it was, Artoria had little talent for it.
To Shirou and Rin, who had known only the Artoria who delighted in fine meals, it came as a genuine surprise.
"Hmm... So enjoying fine food and being skilled at making it are two entirely different matters."
"...Urgh!"
At Rin's innocent remark—spoken while gazing upon the blackened ruin that had once aspired to be omurice—Artoria wore a look of despair fit for Camlann itself.
Shirou, having likewise beheld the dish Artoria had made, patted her shoulder as though to encourage her and spoke gently.
"...If a person has things they excel at, then naturally there will also be things they do not."
"...I feel that somehow wounds me even more, Shirou."
"Ah."
"Sorry," he murmured.
Rin shook her head as if to say she had expected no less from him. Then, before long, a mischievous smile rose upon her face.
"Still, Artoria, the way you are now looks exactly like bridal training."
"B-bridal training!?"
"Learning to cook, learning to manage a household—why, it is all but a course in becoming the ideal wife, is it not?"
Artoria, who had been trimming vegetables, froze where she stood.
Now that Rin had said it aloud, she could not deny it. What, indeed, was she learning from Shirou, if not the very arts expected of a bride?
The instant Artoria became conscious of that truth, her face flushed scarlet.
"B-bridal training? No, that is not... no, if one looks at it a certain way, then perhaps it is, but even so, this is—"
"Eek!?"
"A-Artoria! You are holding a knife! A knife!"
Unable to bear the shame, she had flung her hands about in agitation—and the knife with them. Yet beyond that small uproar, nothing of consequence came to pass.
Thus three months went by, with Artoria receiving what could only be called bridal instruction from Shirou.
Then, for Elius's sake, she resolved to attempt cookery once more.
This time, she chose rice balls, which Shirou had told her were among the easiest of dishes to make. Artoria tied on her apron, determined to put the skill she had learned to use.
Just as Shirou had said, rice balls were simple enough that even one wholly new to cooking might manage them. The ingredients were few, and the method itself was plain.
The only difficulty lay in Artoria's own skill, for even such an easy dish had often ended in failure at her hands.
Yet the experience she had gained under Shirou's guidance had not been in vain. To her surprise, the work proceeded rather smoothly.
And so, before Elius returned home, the rice balls were completed. They had been shaped into neat little spheres, and their appearance was far more respectable than she had dared hope.
Looking upon what she had made, Artoria found that they seemed much more presentable than her usual efforts. She picked one up and placed it in her mouth.
"...Ah!"
It was ruined.
The instant it touched her tongue, Artoria knew disaster had struck. She turned at once to inspect the seasoning container beside her.
[Sugar]
That was the truth of it. She had failed at the most basic of fundamentals. She ought to have used salt to give it a savory taste, yet she had put in sugar instead.
The moment she realized it, she hurriedly checked the time. Elius would soon be home. Thus she reached for the rice balls she had made, intending to throw them away and quickly begin anew while the motions were still fresh in her hands...
Click.
"I am home, Artoria."
"E-Eli!?"
But he returned before she could do so. Having removed his shoes at the entrance, Elius stepped into the kitchen.
He glanced around, then asked,
"Hm? Rice balls... Were you cooking?"
"I was, Elius. But these are a failure, so..."
"Hm? They look perfectly fine to me."
"W-wait, Elius!"
Before she knew it, Elius had come to sit beside her. He leaned in and took into his mouth the rice ball she had been holding in her hand.
For a fleeting instant, his sudden boldness made her face burn hot. Then, at once, anxiety over the taste seized her heart.
And indeed, after chewing it a few times, Elius's eyes widened slightly.
Thinking, as expected, that it must taste dreadful, Artoria lowered her head. She had not the courage to meet his gaze.
Yet when Elius swallowed and spoke, she lifted her face once more.
"It is good, though. You made it well, Artoria."
"... ?"
She stared at him in disbelief. But as if to prove he spoke the truth, he picked up another rice ball from the table and ate that one as well.
"Mmf... gulp. Yes. You did well. Truly."
So saying, Elius smiled.
At that smile, Artoria's cheeks reddened anew, though she puffed them out in protest.
"...Do not tell falsehoods, Elius. Is it not sweet?"
"And what of that? Sweetness is not so bad. Here—ah."
Elius picked up one of the rice balls and brought it to her lips.
Artoria looked at the rice ball offered to her, then accepted it into her mouth. As she ate what he had given her, she leaned against his shoulder, where he still smiled upon her, and spoke softly.
"...It is not so bad, Elius."
It truly is sweet.