Infinite Harem System: I Grow Stronger From Every Female Lead

(Ellie's POV)

As a child, there was a saying Ellie couldn't understand, and even now she still didn't get it.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

That saying made no sense to her, so she dismissed it as:

"The word for the ugly."

Ellie stood before the mirror in her dorm room, which was framed with intricately carved wood. "I just love my face." She cupped her cheeks. "Oppa is so lucky to have a cutie like me as his wife."

She nodded to herself.

To prove the saying wrong, Ellie never wore makeup, not even once, and every girl thought she did. When they found out she didn't, they froze in disbelief. That alone brought her joy.

It didn't take her even a year to prove the saying false, since all eyes, regardless of how they "beheld" things, still saw her as beautiful.

And that beautiful girl was hopelessly in love.

Classes had already started an hour ago, but every time she tried to stand from the mirror, she remembered her handsome husband's face.

Her light. Her sun. Her life.

Ellie rose from her chair and began waltzing around, then shifted into a wild dance.

After a pause, she held an imaginary microphone. "I love my baby so much~ love, love, love~"

As she kept dancing, her door opened.

Ellie spun around only to lock eyes with her best friend, Cecilia.

In the first timeline, she and Cecilia had fought as children. In the second, they were friends. And since Arthur had ensured their dukedom never fell in this timeline, Cecilia remained her best friend while Lily was her other.

Cecilia stared at Ellie without moving, and Ellie did the same. After a long silence, Lily appeared and looked between them.

"What happened?"

Before speaking, Cecilia clutched her stomach while Ellie's face flushed red.

In an instant, Cecilia burst into uncontrollable laughter, holding the doorframe with one hand for balance and her stomach with the other.

"I love you~" Cecilia mimicked, making Ellie's blush deepen.

Ellie grabbed her pillow and hurled it at them. "Get out! Leave me!"

Cecilia darted out before Ellie could go on a rampage.

After a long moment, Ellie opened the door, now wearing an oni mask. "Let's go."

Cecilia almost laughed again but stifled it. "Ellie, I still love you, so—"

Ellie shot her a glare. The she sighed. "Why did you come to my room, anyway?"

The pink-haired saintess took off the bag slung over one shoulder and pulled out a piece of paper. "I heard the dean has something to announce."

Ellie's expression shifted, making her friends flinch.

"Ellie?" Lily asked, just in case she'd been possessed.

Ellie smiled, though it was unnervingly sharp even through the mask. 'So that whore who wants to steal my husband has something to announce?'

After a moment, she nodded. "Just to ask, but is the dean also in charge of the higher institution?"

Lily shook her head, glancing at the paper. "No. She has some influence, but a different man runs it."

Ellie's eyes lit up instantly, almost too brightly. "It's a man?" She clasped her hands, voice dripping honey. "That sounds… wonderful."

Cecilia and Lily exchanged looks — both aware that when Ellie said "wonderful" like that, someone, somewhere, was in very real danger.

Ellie removed her mask and walked ahead, her every step radiating flowers and sunshine.

"What happened to her?" Cecilia whispered.

"I don't know," Lily murmured, eyes narrowing.

Ellie turned back with a dazzling smile that hid nothing but promised everything. "Why are you two so far behind?" She tilted her head. "Class has already started."

---

(On the other side of the school)

Unlike Ellie, Arthur didn't wake up cheerfully.

He rose at dawn, exercised, ran a few cycles of 'colour' circulation, and ate just enough to keep his body running at peak condition.

There was no need to check the mirror; he already knew he'd look good. Instead, he bathed, brushed his teeth, and reviewed the mental notes he'd made the night before.

After yesterday's talk with the boys, he had visited Lysandra and told her he needed to move to the higher institution.

Surprisingly, she had already started arranging it before he even woke up. As his infinite lover, she remembered everything from past timelines and knew exactly what he wanted.

Convenient — except that he'd have to earn the transfer through a competitive trial.

And today, he had another complication.

He sat on the edge of his bed, holding an envelope sealed with crimson wax. It wasn't from his mother or sisters this time.

It was from Alya, the academy's elusive student council treasurer, currently the head of their generation — and his cousin.

"Arthur, I advise you not to attend the dean's announcement. If you do, your name will be pulled into a matter you can't refuse."

No signature. No ornamentation. Just a warning.

He thought about ignoring it — then smiled faintly.

'If Alya is trying to keep me away, then the "matter" probably involves something important.'

He slipped the letter into his blazer pocket and straightened his uniform. "Let's get ready for the announcement."

As he stepped out, a familiar voice called from the courtyard.

"Art!"

It was Amelia — his sweet and considerate wife — carrying two steaming cups of coffee. She pressed one into his hand before he could speak.

"Good morning."

Arthur smiled warmly, as if all his problems had vanished.

She was dressed in her academy uniform, her hair tied into twin ponytails.

"Good morning. You look beautiful today."

Amelia blushed a little. "Thank you, my husband."

As if just remembering something, she spoke out:

"Oh, right. Mom called. She said she wants to see you."

Arthur's expression washed away. "Fuck…"

Amelia chuckled. "My mom isn't that bad."

Arthur turned to her with a skeptical expression. "Are we speaking of the same person? One of the reasons I wanted to reset the world was so I wouldn't have to get Janet's approval again."

"That woman's more terrifying than most enemies I've fought."

"Well..." She rose up on her toes and kissed him, not caring that half the school was around them.

After pecking him, she stepped forward and bent slightly, looking back with a smile. "I think you'll do well."

Arthur took a slow sip, hiding his smirk behind the rim of the cup. "Then I suppose I should prepare to get beat up…"

Soon, his life in the higher institution would begin.

─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───