"Mashed potatoes?"
If Gawain hadn't said so, Artoria wouldn't have been able to tell that the bowl of yellowish, paste-like substance was mashed potatoes.
Aozaki Rin, on the other hand, had identified the potatoes by their scent, but because he couldn't see, he hadn't guessed that they would be in paste form.
"Yes, and I happened to bring a few extra utensils. Please, you two, try it while it's hot."
Faced with Gawain's enthusiastic urging, Artoria did not refuse. After all, her stomach had actually been growling for several hours now. She had only deliberately endured it because she knew their supplies were still being inventoried and were likely not abundant, and as a king, she shouldn't indulge her own desires.
And now that a late-night snack had been delivered to her door, she naturally wouldn't be polite.
"Mhm, thank you for your thoughtfulness, Sir Gawain. I shall give it a try then."
Handing a wooden spoon to the boy beside her, Artoria sat side-by-side with Aozaki Rin. Without much hesitation, they each scooped up a spoonful of mashed potatoes and put it in their mouths.
However, what Artoria hadn't expected was that, while she had assumed Gawain was so confident for a reason, and that something like mashed potatoes couldn't possibly taste bad no matter how they were made, her opinion changed the moment it entered her mouth.
—It was an indescribable taste.
To say it was delicious would be an absolute lie. But to say it was terrible was also not quite right; it subtly danced back and forth on the line between terrible and not-terrible.
Artoria swore that she had never experienced such a complex flavor in her entire life. In that instant, memories of her past even flashed through her mind involuntarily.
On the other side, Aozaki Rin was having a similar experience.
After the sibling pair had taken their first bite of the mashed potatoes, the smiles on their faces vanished in unison, and they both fell silent.
Artoria stared expressionlessly at the large bowl of mashed potatoes before her, then at Gawain's bright, toothy smile, and then at the boy beside her, who was quietly continuing to eat the mashed potatoes without making a sound.
Must not waste food, must not waste food... she thought, forcing her expression to remain neutral as she and Aozaki Rin finished the entire bowl of mashed potatoes.
"So, it's quite delicious, isn't it, my king, En?"
Gawain asked expectantly, a confident smile on his lips.
But Aozaki Rin and Artoria didn't answer him. The two of them just silently turned their backs, lowered their voices, and whispered to each other.
"Sir Gawain must be an assassin sent by someone else, right, En?"
"I-Is that so?"
"Hm? My king? En?" Only able to hear some faint murmurs, Gawain was confused, not understanding why the two, who had been eating so happily just a moment ago, now both had their backs turned to him.
"It's nothing, Sir Gawain. I just suddenly remembered a very important matter, and it concerns you."
Artoria turned back around and looked at Gawain.
"Er, what might that be?"
The young king paused, glanced at the boy beside her, and then, as if having made up her mind, looked at the knightly youth before her and said solemnly.
"Sir Gawain, from this day forward, you are forbidden from entering the kitchen."
"Eh?"
Hearing Gawain leave with a heavy sigh, seemingly greatly stricken, Aozaki Rin hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Was that a little too harsh, Sister?"
"It can't be helped. If I'm not direct, there's no way to make him understand his flaw. Besides, if the soldiers were to accidentally eat something like that in the future, I'm afraid morale would plummet before the war even starts."
Artoria sighed as if she had a headache. She had never expected that such a powerful knight she had just recruited could produce such terrible cooking. And what's more, he seemed to be completely unaware of it, even taking pleasure in it.
For a moment, Artoria suddenly felt a little sympathy for the younger brothers and sisters Gawain had mentioned.
However, she didn't dwell on the matter for too long. She soon smiled and looked at the boy.
"Alright, it's getting late. You should go back and rest too, En. Of course, it's fine if you want to rest here. We often slept close together during our journey anyway."
"That would disturb you, Sister."
Aozaki Rin shook his head and declined, making the girl pout with a hint of disappointment.
"Then I'll head back first. Please get some rest soon too, Sister. Don't work too hard."
"Mhm."
After bidding his sister farewell, Aozaki Rin left the room.
However, as he wasn't very familiar with the castle's layout and was unable to see, he walked very slowly, listening carefully to his surroundings while memorizing the route under his feet.
Just then, after rounding a corner, he suddenly heard a rustling sound, like someone writing.
And soon, another bright and gentle voice spoke up.
"Ah, En. Is your conversation with the king over?"
Under the moonlight, Gawain was leaning against a railing, holding a quill pen dipped in ink and a sheet of parchment. He smiled upon noticing the boy.
"Mhm. Are you..."
Aozaki Rin nodded and asked with some concern. After all, Artoria had just completely rejected his mashed potatoes at their very foundation, and he was a little worried about Gawain's mental state.
"This? I'm just writing a letter to my family. There are some matters that need to be settled."
Seemingly deliberately avoiding the topic of a certain family member, Gawain's smile held a hint of resignation, but he quickly changed the subject.
"Also, please don't worry about what happened earlier. I know the king probably isn't used to the taste of these mashed potatoes. When I have the chance next time, I'll definitely have you two try something else."
No, even if you change the flavor, Sister will probably still find it terrible...
After all, the young man's cooking was "broken" at a fundamental level. No matter how hard he tried, it was unlikely to change.
But faced with Gawain's enthusiastic words, Aozaki Rin couldn't bring himself to say the truth and simply remained silent.
"Speaking of which, did you learn swordsmanship by yourself, En? Or did you have a dedicated teacher?"
"My foster father taught me."
"Is that so... I heard that the king, you, and Sir Kay are all adoptive siblings. In that case, the old gentleman who adopted the three of you must be quite a remarkable person."
"Yes, Father is a very outstanding person."
Aozaki Rin said seriously. For a moment, a slightly envious expression appeared on Gawain's face, but it quickly returned to a smile as he bid the boy goodnight.
"Then I won't keep you from your rest, En."
Aozaki Rin nodded. After a pause, he faced Gawain and said.
"If something is troubling you, please don't always keep it buried inside. While I can't say I can definitely solve it, at least talking about it will make you feel much better."
Gawain blinked, only realizing after a moment that he was being comforted. He scratched his head, slightly embarrassed.
"It's nothing, just some small matters. I can handle them myself. But thank you all the same, Lord En."
Unconsciously using the honorific again, Gawain watched the boy's slowly departing figure.
A moment later, looking at the nearly full sheet of parchment before him, Gawain pressed his lips together. He then crumpled it into a ball, took out a fresh sheet, and began to write.
"Mother, I am sorry. It is not that I disrespect you, but I feel that your previous command was not appropriate. King Arthur is an outstanding person, not the despicable person you spoke of, so I have decided to remain by his side and become his knight..."
And so, three days later, this letter was delivered into the hands of a certain woman deep within a palace in the County of Orkney.
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