Although Daniste's question was directed at Flora behind the door, her eyes were on Shade.
Shade could not answer. He had no way of telling her what Flora had done with her hair tied up that afternoon after Wilundell's funeral, when the two of them had been at The Club.
After hesitating for a moment, the Witch inside the room said softly:
"He made me lie on the table and spanked my butt a few times."
Though that still sounded quite wrong, compared to what they had actually done, it seemed like a trivial matter.
Daniste's gaze shifted to Shade again. She was clearly surprised that he would do such a thing. Shade coughed and avoided meeting her eyes, because he did not know what expression he ought to have at that moment either.
The red-haired girl pressed her lips together and remained silent for quite a while before speaking to the half-open door again:
"Flora, do you really know what you did wrong?"
"I really do! I violated your privacy merely to satisfy my desire to create. That was obviously wrong."
She had only wanted material for her writing. It was not as though she could not distinguish right from wrong.
No one knew whether Daniste believed her, but Administrator Miss had already decided how to punish the owl before arriving:
"Today is the Year-End Festival. It should be a day for everyone to celebrate happily. Since Shade is here to plead for you, I can give you a chance to earn my forgiveness. But that absolutely cannot be achieved with a verbal apology alone. Even the young students at the Academy know that mistakes must be punished."
"What are you going to punish me with? Could you not hit my face?"
Flora asked worriedly, and Daniste nearly laughed