"I'm sorry," he said. "And thank you."
After all, if Cecilia hadn't been there—no, if anyone else had been there, if it hadn't been her, he wouldn't have escaped this incident cleanly.
Never.
If she hadn't come, hadn't gotten trapped with him, he would still be in that office. The drug would still be consuming him. He might have died from brain damage.
Not to mention, the reason he hadn't already destroyed the wall was simple. In his condition, staying put had felt like the only option. Movement meant losing control. Action meant exposure.
But because she was there, the drug was cured. Completely. Cleanly. Without scandal, without further incident, without anyone ever needing to know what had happened behind that sealed door.
And on top of all that was Lazuardi's lack of suspicion. The headmaster hadn't questioned why Arkai, a Force Mage of considerable power, couldn't escape on his own.
It was certainly because Cecilia was there, someone more likely to solve the problem.
