The Main Heroine Falls for the Extra

The Baron Edwin’s domain is located on the outskirts of the kingdom, primarily engaging in simple agriculture.
Even so, it’s a common territory of just enough scale to get by, without any special local products or boasting particularly vast farmland.
The compensation for unilaterally breaking an engagement between nobles, especially one that had continued for over ten years.
Moreover, since Liliana, the person involved, affirmed that she would take all responsibility, the amount is certainly not small.
…Honestly, there’s no calculation that suggests Baron Edwin’s family could pay such compensation.
It seems like they would need to live frugally for at least a decade or more to gather the compensation.
In the original story, the reason for breaking the engagement was the counterpart’s violence and verbal abuse towards Liliana, so Count Wentos’s family bore all the responsibility, but this time it’s Liliana’s unilateral breaking of the engagement.
With this development different from the original story, a major crisis was approaching the Baron Edwin’s family.
A few days later at Baron Edwin’s domain.
A document like a bolt from the blue arrived for Walter Edwin, Liliana’s father and the head of the Baron Edwin family.
“Is this… is this really true?!”
Walter Edwin showed the document with trembling hands.
The envelope containing the document bore the crest of Count Wentos’s family, which had been engaged with the Baron Edwin family.
“We’ve sent a messenger to Lady Liliana to confirm the facts. However, judging from Count Wentos’s family’s attitude, I believe it must be true.”
“This stupid daughter! How could she do such a thing without consulting her father first?!”
Walter Edwin clutched his head.
If what was written in this document was true, this was 100% the responsibility of Baron Edwin’s family.
How could his daughter, that Liliana, fall in love with another man and unilaterally break off her engagement!
It’s an utterly shameful act for a noble who has a fiancé.
Moreover, she brought up breaking the engagement without any consultation with him?
This girl hasn’t gone mad in a good way.
Perhaps he had spoiled his daughter too much, whom he had in his later years, especially because she had talent in magic.
Walter Edwin felt his headache getting worse.
“Darling! Is that really true?!”
Baroness Adriana Edwin burst into the lord’s room, opening the door.
The baroness’s face was pale blue.
“Is it true that Liliana did such a stupid thing?!”
“We’re confirming it, but since the count’s family wouldn’t send such a document without confirming the facts, I think it must be true.”
“Oh no…”
As the baroness staggered as if about to collapse, one of the maids rushed to support her.
Walter Edwin looked at his wife’s face and said.
“Since things have turned out this way, we must take responsibility, but how are we supposed to pay such a large amount of compensation…”
“Liliana… what on earth was she thinking…”
Walter Edwin could only clutch his aching head.
Several days passed.
Seeing Liliana together with Allen had become a ‘normal thing,’ and at some point, I stopped paying attention to Liliana.
Despite being together for over ten years, could I really move on this quickly?
To be honest, it was hard to say there was absolutely no problem.
It was more like I was deceiving myself, trying to appear as if it didn’t bother me at all.
And at the same time, her presence was significant.
Riel Ignis.
The main heroine of this world and my friend.
Whenever she was with me, I felt like the pain in my heart was being chipped away.
Today, I was with her at a small shop on the outskirts of the capital.
“There aren’t many people, and the tea is delicious!”
Riel said, lifting the milk tea she had ordered.
Indeed, it was a quiet place with a nice atmosphere.
The tea was quite good too.
“You found a good place.”
“I discovered it by chance when I was running around here and there at the beginning of the semester!”
…I purposely didn’t ask who she was running from.
Riel was still ignoring Allen and running away from him.
Allen also kept approaching Riel, but perhaps because of his previous argument with me, he wasn’t actively pursuing her in places where others could see.
“Sigh, I wonder how long I’ll have to stay with that guy in front of me… the seating rearrangement is next week…”
“Haha…”

So far, there had been three seating rearrangements during our time at the academy.
Seats were determined by drawing lots, and eerily enough, Riel’s seat was always next to Allen’s.
Whether it was the seat in front, behind, or beside him.
I was concerned that the same thing might happen again this time, but Riel had a confident expression, saying that it wouldn’t happen this time.
“I’ve come up with a plan!”
Or something like that.
“By the way, it seems Liliana didn’t come to school today?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Liliana didn’t attend school today.
According to the homeroom teacher, she seemed to have some important business.
“She was probably called to the baron’s family.”
“Is it related to the broken engagement?”
“Yes, the count’s family has finished their investigation, and they’ve probably started demanding compensation from the baron’s family by now.”
After sending the letter to the count’s family, the subsequent events flowed rapidly.
After receiving my letter, the count… that is, my father, immediately sent someone to the academy and confirmed the facts from me and Liliana.
Liliana honestly admitted everything, and that was the end of it.
In the end, the count’s family reported to the administrator that Liliana was responsible based on her attitude and statements, and the administrator also acknowledged this and approved the broken engagement.
As long as Liliana maintained that attitude, it would be nearly impossible for the baron’s family to reverse the broken engagement.
…I had secretly checked the amount of compensation set by the accompanying administrator, and it wasn’t an amount that Baron Edwin’s family could pay immediately.
I was guessing that the baron’s family had called her to interrogate her about this matter.
For the time being, the Baron Edwin family would be in trouble.
Having built considerable friendships with the people of the baron’s family while continuing the engagement relationship with Liliana, I naturally felt sorry for them.
But now that things had turned out this way, there was nothing to be done.
It’s natural that my personal feelings are excluded in promises between nobles.
Liliana Edwin had urgently returned to the baron’s domain after receiving a letter from the baron’s family the day before.
A quiet territory located away from the capital.
A small baronial territory of ordinary size, where they lived off what they harvested each year.
Although she was returning to her hometown after just a few months, it somehow felt unfamiliar to Liliana.
“Lady Liliana!”
As soon as she stepped out of the station, there was an old man approaching, calling Liliana.
It was Gordon, the butler who had served the baron’s family since Baron Edwin was young.
“The baron wishes to see you immediately.”
Here it comes.
Liliana already had an idea of why she had been called.
Even though she had prepared herself to some extent, when it actually happened, her heart felt very heavy.
“Let’s go quickly.”
Slap!
Walter Edwin’s palm struck Liliana’s face.
He hit her so hard that Liliana staggered backward and fell.
Tears welled up in Liliana’s eyes.
“Do you… do you even understand what you’ve done!?”
Her father’s face, who had never hit Liliana before and had always been gentle, was now distorted like a demon.
Her mother, Adriana, was just looking at her with a sad face.
“Do you know how important an engagement relationship between nobles is?!”
“…”
Liliana couldn’t say anything.
She did know. She knew how important this engagement was and what would happen if she unilaterally broke it off.
But at that time, she thought this was clearly the right thing to do.
The sense of discomfort she had felt in her heart while meeting Allen in the capital and spending time with him.
And the experiences she had during their few encounters, and one piece of advice she had heard from him.
‘I think Lili doesn’t need to pretend like that, she just needs to be honest with herself.’
Hearing his words, she felt her heart ease.
She felt like something in her heart was gradually being untangled as she did what she wanted to do and liked what she liked.
While being with him, leaning on him and talking with him, she was gradually drawn to him.
So she wanted to be truly free from the last chain that had been binding her, and be honestly by his side.
‘I’m really sorry to say this, but I’d like you to break off our engagement.’
If someone asked whether her time with Kyo Wentos was painful, it wasn’t.
However, as she began to want to be with Allen, the warm fabric of Kyo Wentos that had been wrapping around her felt like nothing but cold chains.
So, she shattered those chains.
Unilaterally, thoroughly.
And the price for that.
It was coming not only to her but also to her family.
Baron Edwin, whose excitement had subsided, caught his breath for a moment and continued.
“Since things have grown to this extent, it would be impossible to reverse the broken engagement.”
“…Yes.”
Not only had the matter already escalated, but Liliana also had no intention of reversing the broken engagement from the beginning.
“The compensation must absolutely follow the amount set by the kingdom. We’ll have to find a way to get the money somehow…”
Baron Edwin, speaking like that, looked 20 years older.
“And Liliana, you will quit the academy starting today.”
“What?!”
Liliana was greatly shocked.
Quitting the academy—she couldn’t agree to that, if nothing else.
Above all, if she quit the academy, it would be impossible to be with Allen.
“Why are you surprised? Did you think you would continue attending the academy?”
“But… but… we’ve already paid all the tuition fees!”
Baron Edwin glared at Liliana with an incredulous expression.
At that moment, someone entered the room.
It was a handsome young man with blue hair, just like Liliana.
“What nonsense are you talking about, Liliana.”
“B-brother…”
It was Valencia Edwin, Liliana’s older brother and the one who would inherit the next baronial title.
“Have you forgotten that your tuition was paid by Count Wentos’s family?”
The eyes of her brother, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time, were very cold as he looked at Liliana.
“Of course, your tuition was provided by the count’s family regardless of the engagement, and there has been no request from the count’s family to return your tuition.”
“Then… then…”
Valencia narrowed his eyes, glared at Liliana, and said.
“If you have any conscience, could you continue attending the academy with the tuition provided by Count Wentos’s family?”
“……”
Liliana had nothing to say.
Baron Edwin heaved a deep sigh and said.
“If you really want to continue attending, go personally to either Count Wentos or Kyo, apologize, and get their permission.”
“……”
“Even though the count’s family hasn’t requested a return of the tuition, don’t you think you at least need to apologize sincerely?”
“…Yes, I understand, Father.”
Liliana’s heart grew even heavier.