Zhao Xun took the form of a Persian cat and entered the King and Queen's bedroom without any trouble.
The banquet hall was still bustling, and the bedroom was empty.
The Magic Mirror had long since grown impatient. The moment it saw Zhao Xun, it cried excitedly, "Quick, quick! Let me bask in the moonlight!"
"What's the hurry?" Still in cat form, Zhao Xun jumped onto the dressing table and stood beside the Magic Mirror. "It isn't midnight yet."
Before the Magic Mirror could speak, he asked, "Do you have to bask in the moonlight for a full half hour before you can leave this room, or can you leave as soon as the moonlight touches you and keep basking outside?"
"I have to bask for a full half hour before I can leave this room," the Magic Mirror answered. "Only then will my contract with the Queen be dissolved. I can't leave until the contract is broken."
"Got it." Zhao Xun glanced at the window beside the dressing table.
The window was half open, and moonlight spilled in from outside, falling on the windowsill.
Judging by that, even opening the window all the way wouldn't bring the moonlight onto the dressing table, much less onto the Magic Mirror.
The Magic Mirror appeared unable to move on its own and had to be carried, so it couldn't get onto the windowsill to bask in the moonlight by itself.
Or perhaps being bound to the Queen was what had deprived it of its ability to move independently.
After waiting a little while, Zhao Xun figured it was almost time. He returned to human form and picked up the Magic Mirror.
At the same time, he took out his phone to check the exact time.
23:58
Two minutes remained until midnight.
Zhao