One of her hands subconsciously drops to her lap, where her whip remains coiled, comforting but unused. With more uncertainty than she'd care to admit to, she answers, "Physical negative reinforcement has been proven to be ineffective when encouraging improvement in others. So, yes, the whipping."

The way he asks, however, makes her feel that there is more she could (should!) apologise for, but she can't quite pinpoint it at the moment, which is bothersome indeed.

"Perfection is not a goal, but a journey. I am perfect in every way," she reiterates, fingers tightening around the handle of her cup with more intensity than she intends, "and that extends to knowing, perfectly, when I have acted poorly in the past."