Madam Dayang drove her car swiftly, after leaving SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan in the district of Megaputra. Sitting beside her was her English language teacher, Zara Jebat. At the back seat was her Malay language teacher, Mifzal Azlan. It was 8:00 in the morning, and she was heading to Mahkota Puri Palace, located in Dirgantara.

Dirgantara and Megaputra were separated by a hill, named Arjuna Permata. Before the 90s, it took almost one hour to travel between these two districts, as drivers needed to travel around the hill to arrive at their destination from Megaputra to Dirgantara and vice versa.

However, it changed in the early 90s, when the monarch of Shahputra, Sultan Muzzammil V, suggested the idea to build an underground highway tunnel to reconnect both districts, in an effort to shorten the travel time between those two. Of course, with the initiative from Malaysia's Ministry of Works, and the Prime Minister himself, Sultan Muzzammil V's idea came into fruition. A month after the inauguration of the Petronas Twin Towers, Sultan Muzzammil V cut the ribbons to officiate the opening of the tunnel. The name given for the tunnel was Aryana Azrina Tunnel, named after the late wife of Sultan Muzzammil V and former queen consort of Shahputra, Sultanah Aryana Azrina.

With the tunnel, the travel time between Megaputra and Dirgantara had been decreased from one hour to 15 minutes. Madam Dayang's car had already passed the tunnel, and her car's wheels were now rolling on Mahkota Street.

The day was not really bright. The sun was still shying away. The sky was a mixture of colour orange and grey. The gloomy scenery outside of the Mahkota Puri Palace was flashing with royal blue and dark red colour from the siren lights. Police cars were everywhere, with only an ambulance somewhere in the pool.

Madam Dayang parked her car a bit further from the crime scene. She stepped out of her car, looking far to the car, where Clarissa Ching's body was found. Zara fixed the position of her cat-eye spectacles, to see clearly on the scene. She didn't realise that Mifzal did the same.

Three of them walked in a horizontal line, moving closer to the crime scene. They saw the ambulance, with a trolley at the back. On the trolley, a black in colour plastic substance was on top of it. It must be a body bag, containing who was once the best choir conductor in the district of Megaputra.

A bit further front from the body bag, stood a policeman, wearing a perfectly fitted, blue in colour Royal Malaysia Police uniform. Beside him, stood a middle-aged man, wearing an old-looking light blue baju melayu. They were conversing lightly with each other.

The policeman's side eye did notice three adults were walking toward him. He subtly invited the middle-aged man to walk towards Madam Dayang, Zara, and Mifzal.

The police took a deep breath and blurted, "My name is Inspector Hassan, from Megaputra Police Station. What can I help you with?"

Madam Dayang raised her chin a bit, and replied with a full Margaret Thatcher-like charisma, "My name is Dayang Sheila. Headmistress of SMK Tengku Simpulan."

"Ah, usually," disrupted the inspector. "I will ask why are you here unannounced, oddly... at a crime... possibly a murder scene of a very young student. But today, your existence comes to be a convenience."

"Oh?" Madam Dayang looked confused.

Mifzal exchanged his view from the inspector to the middle-aged man beside him. He squinted his eyes for a few seconds, and then his eyes rolled, big!

"Your Majesty!" exclaimed Mifzal. He bowed.

Madam Dayang and Zara turned their heads to Mifzal like they were getting an electrical shock. They looked at Mifzal, bowing so low. Then they looked at the middle-aged man. With a split second, both of them curtsied. "Your Majesty," uttered from their lips.

"Are my eyes looking correctly?" asked Sultan Muzzammil V boastfully. "Is that Mifzal Azlan?"

Mifzal raised his bow and replied, "Yes, it's me, sir."

Sultan Muzzammil extended his arms and embraced Mifzal in a fatherly hug. Madam Dayang raised her left eyebrow. Zara and Inspector Hassan's jaws dropped.

Sultan Muzzammil released his hug. His hands were holding Mifzal's side shoulders. "How are you doing, son?" he asked excitedly.

Mifzal lied, "Doing great," he replied. He was not feeling great. Zara Jebat hated him to the core.

"You're visiting Shahputra?" the Sultan asked.

"No," answered Mifzal. He then looked at Madam Dayang. "I'm back for good."

Madam Dayang nodded her head slightly, "Mifzal is my newly appointed teacher at my school in Megaputra, sir," she said respectfully.

"Oh," said Sultan Muzzammil, looking baffled. "Out of a sudden?"

"Six months ago, I took the education diploma at University of Malaya. Long story short, I got posted to teach at my alma mater. Thanks to Madam Dayang, who approached me, I can teach at my former secondary school. It's good to be back home, in Megaputra," explained Mifzal.

"Ah," responded Sultan Muzzammil, releasing his hands from Mifzal's shoulders and moving it to his back. "I expected you to one day be the managing director at the public relations firm you're working at in Kuala Lumpur."

"The plan has changed, Your Majesty," commented Mifzal softly.

"Oh, don't get me wrong!" chuckled Sultan Muzzammil. "I'm proud that you're back in Shahputra, to contribute your skill and talent to the state. What career is the best to do it, if it's not being a teacher, eh? You've decided to join the education world, and it's a noble decision to do so."

"My ears are glad to hear that, Your Majesty." Mifzal bowed again. Zara looked at Mifzal with an extremely unhappy face.

Madam Dayang raised her hand shyly. Her elbow was still attached to her abdomen. "If I am allowed to ask, Your Majesty." Madam Dayang was no longer looking charismatic, but nervous instead. "How could Your Majesty know my teacher, formerly my student, Mifzal?"

"He was my scholar under my foundation," answered Sultan Muzzammil.

"Riiight," replied Madam Dayang longly. "I'm sorry, Mifzal. I nearly forgot that you're Sultan Muzzammil V Foundation scholar."

Sultan Muzzammil replied to Madam Dayang instead. "Don't feel guilty, Madam Dayang." The Sultan raised both of his palms to the air, and then clasped it at the centre of his abdomen. He was smiling. "It's unusual for a Sultan to keep track of his numerous scholars. It's understandable if the friendliness between me and Mifzal here is quite bizarre in front of your eyes."

Sultan Muzzammil continued smiling. "But, Mifzal here is a modelled student. You definitely remember he had a 4.0 CGPA in his STPM, at your school, SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan."

"Yes, yes," nodded Madam Dayang a few times.

Zara moved her lips abruptly to Madam Dayang's ears and whispered, "When was this?" she asked.

"2005 and 2006," replied Madam Dayang breathily. "You were not in school, meh?"

"I didn't take Form Six. I was in the US already by then." Zara moved away from Madam Dayang's ears.

"Three years later," Sultan Muzzammil continued. "Mifzal was a valedictorian at Dirgantara University." The Sultan looked extraordinarily proud, staring at Mifzal. "Since then, I keep track of his achievements in the world of public relations."

"Let's not bore the ladies and Inspector Hassan with the details," insisted Mifzal, laughing shyly.

"Right, right, haha," tittered the Sultan.

"Apologies, sir," said Mifzal apologetically. "Just now, we nearly didn't notice you with the kopiah, baju melayu, and kain pelikat."

"Oh, God!" Sultan Muzzammil raised his head and rolled his eyes. But his lips were still carved with a smile. "Numerous policemen and paramedics said the same thing to me today, ugh. When I met them, when we found the..." Sultan Muzzammil gestured his hand towards the car far behind them. "... when we found the poor girl."

Sultan Muzzammil continued his story. "I was just finishing my tahajjud prayers when we found the poor girl outside of my palace. Kain pelikat is a normal attire you wear during your prayer," pressed the Sultan.

"Yup, totally agree," said Mifzal casually. "I even wear kain pelikat during my prayers. It's very airy down there."

"Exactly, right!" replied Sultan Muzzammil with an utmost excitement.

Mifzal supported, "Easy for you to bend during ruku', easy for you to prostrate during sujud."

"Feels so easy on the crotch area..."

"Feels very pleasant..."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," disrupted Inspector Hassan, while showing his palm to the ground and waving it up and down. "Let's save the kain pelikat talk for another day. We have other pressing matters here."

"Right, right." Sultan Muzzammil touched the tip of his kopiah on his head, looking suddenly shy. "Where were we?"

"Excuse me, Your Majesty." Zara abruptly spoke, inviting Sultan Muzzammil, Inspector Hassan, Madam Dayang, and Mifzal to look at her.

"Your Majesty, sir," stuttered Zara. "You said just now, 'when we found the poor girl'?"

Sultan Muzzammil stared at Zara curiously. He put back his hands at the back of his body. He returned back to his usual royal self. "My son found him, with his bodyguard. They were jogging on Mahkota Street earlier this morning," the Sultan said.

"Your... son... as the crown prince," asked Zara.

"Do I have another son, Mifzal?" Sultan Muzzammil's head was gestured towards Mifzal, but his eyes were still locked at Zara's face."

"No... sir," answered Mifzal slowly, looking puzzled.

"Then, yes. The crown prince found the body."

"But... we... didn't read that on the news," commented Zara.

"I requested the press to not include the information. And I want you to do the same, Mifzal." Sultan Muzzammil exchanged his stare to Mifzal.

"I'll make sure my headmistress and my co-worker here won't say a word," assured Mifzal.

"Good."

The conversation between five people, outside of the Mahkota Puri Palace went silent for a while. And then Sultan Muzzammil V uttered, "I think I know why the three of you are here today, right now."

Sultan Muzzammil V flashed a kingly stare at Madam Dayang. "The poor girl was SMK Mary of Teck choir conductor. I know that Mifzal was your school's choir's pianist many years ago. You appointed him to be your new teacher, so he can lead the choir team. You're going to check out what's going on with everything here."

Madam Dayang smiled nervously. Zara was showing a grumpy face. She monologued, "Ugh, I am the official choir teacher advisor for SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan, not him."

Suddenly, the sound of an engine car broke the peaceful ambience of Mahkota Street. All five of them tried to find the source of the sound. Until they saw a car moving so fast towards them. Inspector Hassan held the Sultan's hand to save him away from any unwanted danger.