#VillainDad #CuteProtagonist #Ghosts #Misunderstanding #Transmigration #SmartMC

Mira realized two things the moment she woke up in the body of a nameless orphan in a fantasy novel:

1. She is a disposable "shrimp" destined to die in the crossfire of the main characters.

2. She is the only person in this world who can see the screaming, terrifying ghosts that haunt every corner of the empire.

Tortured by the wails of the dead, Mira finds only one source of silence: Duke Kaelus von Nacht.

Known as the "Dark Lord" and the "Emperor's Sword," Kaelus is a man so ruthless and soaked in bloodlust that even the ghosts are terrified to go near him. To the world, he is a monster. But to Mira, he is a walking, talking pair of noise-canceling headphones.

Desperate for a good night's sleep, Mira clings to him, acting like a naive, affectionate child to secure her place by his side.

She succeeds, but she miscalculated. Kaelus didn't adopt her out of kindness. He needed a disposable child to act as 'live bait' for the assassins targeting him.

Now named Seraphina, she must navigate a deadly game of survival. She thinks she is using him as a ghost shield. He thinks she is a fearless prodigy who loves him.

As Seraphina munches on poison berries and naps through ambushes to avoid seeing spirits, the cold-blooded Duke starts to ask the wrong questions.

"Why does she only sleep when I am holding her?"
"Why does she stare into space with such disdain?"
"Is it possible... that I am a good father?"

Spoiler: He is not. But he’s about to destroy an entire kingdom because someone woke her up.

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### Excerpt

"Your Highness, the Archduke," the aide whispered, trembling hard to cover his laughter from bursting out. "The child... she is clinging to your leg again."

Kaelus looked down. The tiny creature known as Seraphina was attached to his calf like a barnacle, drooling on his pristine military trousers.

"She is fearless," Kaelus murmured, misinterpreting her desperate need for his ghost-repelling aura as familial affection. "The assassins are approaching, yet she seeks comfort only in the eye of the storm. She is the perfect bait."

Seraphina, currently trying to avoid eye contact with a headless ghost hovering three feet away, squeezed her eyes shut. 'Just don't move. If I let go, the headless guy will ask me where his nose is again.'

"Sir," the aide hesitated. "She's... eating your cloak."

"Let her eat," Kaelus commanded, drawing his sword. "Whatever she wants, she gets. Except for freedom."

Gallahan placed one finger against his lips.


Seraphina immediately whispered at maximum volume.


Gallahan closed his eyes. Perhaps this had been a tactical error.


He quickly opened the window and performed a flawless backflip from the ledge, then landed inside the bedroom with a soft thud, his cape settling dramatically behind him.


Then he dropped to one knee and looked around with exaggerated paranoia.


"I am currently operating under highly classified deep-cover stealth parameters."


"Because I have abandoned my assigned patrol route."


Chapter 178 - Shiny Bat!