Eren tapped his fingers on the round table as he pondered.
He had already decided what he wanted from her. But he didn't think he would be offered three rewards. So it took him some time to answer Osha's question.
Eren decided to reserve his first reward for later use.
He requested Osha's visit to the city of White Raven as his second reward. He told her he would contact her when she was needed in his city. The latter was only supposed to come to his city and stay for a few days before leaving.
For his third reward, Eren asked Osha to dance with him for a few minutes when the Ball started. He didn't put much thought into his third reward and just asked for a dance randomly.
Osha agreed to all his demands easily. She smiled and raised a toast to him. She chugged the contents of her glass in one gulp. She drank two more times to signal her defeat before speaking further.
"I must say I underestimated you, Grimdawn. We all did. Congratulations and well played."
Osha spoke honestly before looking across her audience. Her cheeks turned red when the booze kicked in. Her smile and words became more captivating as she spoke.
"Alright. This is just the beginning. I expect you guys to take things up a notch with your participation."
There were loads of rankers who participated in the poetry challenge. Osha played the perfect host and allowed them to pose their challenges and respond individually.
Some rankers participated in groups against other groups of rankers. Some couples played against each other. The poetry challenge and drinking game went hand in hand.
A few rankers approached the stage to challenge their opposition. And their rivals were also summoned to the stage beside them to have multiple rounds. The drinking game would take place on the stage itself in such cases. The game also introduced Truth or Dare deeds as a form of punishment and reward.
Eren's group also received challenges from various groups including Steve and Ramy. Ramy's challenge was the funniest of them all because of his speech impediment. One could say that the guy knew how to crack his audience with his brand of humor.
Eren's team lost to Ramy's team. The butcher couldn't formulate an appropriate response to Ramy's challenge before his time was up. It was difficult to do so when the whole crowd laughed and cheered Ramy on. Ramy's team won by default.
The minutes passed in a blur. And the grand hall of the floating white palace was filled with laughter and excitement that reached new levels.
Eren was surprised when someone from his team raised a hand. The person who raised her hand sat next to him. Apparently, she was aiming for a solo challenge and the one she challenged was none other than Eren himself.
Nina got up from her seat and walked towards the stage. She decided it would be better to challenge Eren when she was away from him not to get distracted.
Nina, with her stunning light brown skin, graced the Grad Ball with her elegant presence. She exuded mature, sophisticated charm with her curves. Her charming facial features made many heads turn.
Nina's attractive visual appeal was accentuated by her slim yet buxom figure, with a shapely posterior and a slim waist to match. Her dark gray hair, bordering on being off-black, flowed down to her shoulder blades, complementing her violet eyes and ample bosom.
Nina's attire for the night was a sleek slip dress that clung to her body, accentuating her every curve. The dress was a dark shade of green that perfectly complemented her eyes and earrings.
Nina's earrings had sparkling green gems embedded in them. They shimmered in the light, drawing attention to her face and completing her glamorous look.
For her footwear, Nina opted for a pair of black slingbacks that added to the elegance of her outfit. Her overall appearance was captivating, leaving everyone in awe of her stunning beauty and impeccable sense of style.
Osha welcomed Nina on stage with a smile. She offered Nina to take charge of the lectern. Nina looked at Eren and smiled before getting into her zone. She spoke her words slowly with a clear voice and even clearer intentions, adding weight to them.
"A heart full of desolation, a heart full of pain,
I cannot love, no matter how hard I feign.
Trust shattered and broken, too many times to count,
Nobody is worthy of my love, this I cannot surmount.
The world seems so dark, with no light in sight.
No hero for me, to make things right.
I wander alone, with a heavy heart,
Looking for fresh start, a new part.
But the scars of the past run so deep,
And I find it hard to dream and sleep.
The fear of getting hurt again grips me tight,
And I can't seem to find the strength to fight.
Yet still, a glimmer of hope remains,
A chance to heal, to break the chains.
To love again, to trust again,
And find a hero to adore.
For though the pain is great, and the journey is long,
I know in my heart that I am strong.
And one day, I will find someone true,
Someone worthy of my love, and that someone is you."
Nina received plenty of cheers and applause for her composition. But the noise died down when Eren spoke grumpily.
"Hold on for a second! What do you mean– "you will find someone true?" You already found me."
The audience laughed at Eren's comments and the cheers returned for Nina. Osha raised her hand to quiet down the audience a bit before responding to Eren in Nina's stead.
"That's Nina's artistic liberty, Grimdawn. You need to respond appropriately to her if you want to win. Your random comments don't count."
Osha's words forced Grimdawn to take action. He got up from his seat and used Blink. In the next moment, he appeared beside Nina. Instead of standing at the other lectern meant for the opposition, he decided to occupy Nina's.
