Before Cinderella had finished speaking, Zhao Xun had already jumped off the queen.
While the queen was still unable to open her eyes, he changed back into human form and took the saucer from Cinderella's hands.
Then he walked straight out of the room.
Cinderella was so frightened she hardly dared breathe. She wanted to stop Zhao Xun's brazen behavior, but feared that speaking would draw the queen's attention, so she held back.
"Wait," the queen said hastily after hearing Cinderella's words, afraid she would leave. "Cinderella, find me a handkerchief first. I want to wipe away my tears."
Cinderella came to her senses and placed her own handkerchief in the queen's hand. "Your Majesty, this is my handkerchief. If you don't mind, you can use it for now."
The queen thanked her and hurriedly wiped her eyes with it.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I don't know what that cat got on his paws either. I've already chased him away," Cinderella apologized without prompting. "Once I find him, I'll be sure to wash his paws clean."
"Never mind. What could a cat know?" The queen's tears finally stopped, and she could open her eyes. She sighed in relief, her attitude toward Cinderella still fairly friendly. "He probably reached out his paw to be friendly, not to hurt me."
Hearing the queen say this put Cinderella much more at ease.
Then she added, "Let me call a physician to examine you anyway, in case your eyes were injured. The cut on your finger needs medicine too."
"There's no need to trouble yourself." The queen smiled, stood up, and walked to the window. She addressed a maid stationed downstairs. "Go fetch the physician."
The maid looked up, saw that the order came from the queen, and immediately left to obey.
Meanwhile, Zhao