[Ranked #3 in #choir as of 7 November 2023]
The rivalry between three secondary schools; SMK Mary of Teck, SMK Margaret Snowdon, and SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan in the Megaputra District Choir Competition, were in existence since the early 2000s - and...
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The misty night was pitch black. The road of Mahkota Street was dead silent. Only the street lights were illuminating the grey tar of the road, but it was not enough to manipulate the darkness of the ghostly looking street.
Mahkota Street was where the Mahkota Puri Palace was located, in the district of Dirgantara, state of Shahputra. The surface area of the palace was massive, mainly gardens with beautiful landscapes. The monarch of the state of Shahputra, His Majesty Sultan Muzzammil V was fond of nature. He ensured every inch of his palace was incorporated with plant elements.
The shape of the palace was rather simple. From the sky, it looked like a huge block of square. Practically, the palace was a cube. The significant beauty of the palace was a huge gold in colour dome at the top, coated with pure gold. The dome was enormous, the second biggest dome in Malaysia, after the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque's dome - the state mosque of Selangor, Malaysia.
Each four corners of the palace cube were decorated with 142-metre towers. The towers were not aesthetic. They were functional. Two towers served as the palace offices. While the other two towers were being used as the Sultan's private rooms. The towers' top also had a gold dome.
The Grand Clock at the internal Grand Entrance of the palace struck four in the morning. The bell of the Grand Clock smashed the silence of the palace. At the Grand Staircase, a 30-year-old man climbed down from the first floor. He was wearing a black in colour sleeveless sports tank, revealing his lean biceps on his arms. He was wearing thigh-length shorts, together with a pair of Air Jordan on his feet.
When he was climbing down from the Grand Staircase, his bodyguard walked behind him. When both of them walked across the vast empty area of the internal Grand Entrance, he stopped. He turned to his back, and extended his hand to his bodyguard. The bodyguard gave him a striking yellow in colour hoodie.
"Honestly, really?" blurted the 30-year-old man. "A yellow hoodie, can't you be more royal?"
The bodyguard replied softly, "Sir, it's dark outside. It's safe to wear bright colours. In case if there's a car moving, the driver can notice you, us. So, we're in... less danger. Not being hit or something."
"Here's the thing, I don't want to get noticed. And no cars are moving around the palace street at four AM in the morning. Give me that hoodie."
The crown prince of Shahputra, Raja Ahmad Ashraf ibni Sultan Muzzammil V, snatched the yellow hoodie from his bodyguard's hand. He wrapped the hoodie around his body, covering his lean biceps. He also covered his head with the hood. His thin stubble beard, straight Roman nose, and wavy locks were partially hidden.
The prince continued walking to the Grand Door. His bodyguard followed suit.
The loud bell of the Grand Clock had also woken up a middle-aged man sleeping in the biggest master bedroom in the palace. His eyes were just wide open. He was lying on his back, on his huge bed. Hands on his chest. He sat down straight, and then climbed down from his bed, to walk to his bedroom window. He saw, from his huge Moorish-style window, his son was leaving the palace gates with his bodyguard. After the gate was automatically closed, both of them started to jog, away from the palace's Grand Gate.
