He leads them inside and urges them to sit down. The dining room itself is probably the most clean and put together room in the whole mansion. He really did go all out. Strange. The dining table is a modest size, nothing too extravagant. There's three plates of food.
Sophia and Ms. Ipruk sit next to each other and simultaneously look at their 'food'. It's meat.
It's cooked poison wolf meat.
//Are you fucking kidding me? What he said was true and not some bizarre joke?//
Oh and some tea, how thoughtful. Sophia will pretend to drink the tea. Ms. Ipruk herself is playing with the food and pretending she's going to eat it.
"So um dear, you really didn't have to make this for us. We're happy to do our job without payment in food. Aha…"
"I insist I mean like, I never get a chance to cook for people so like… I'm happy." He does look happy and it's way too unsettling. And Sophia wonders why anyone wouldn't want to eat his deathly cooking.
The silence that follows is awkward until he finally asks, "Uh, Sophia? You're not gonna eat?"
"No."
"Oh."
"Sophia's a garden fae she doesn't need to eat food like this. She's not trying to hurt your feelings."
//Yes I am! That's exactly what I'm trying to do!//
"Ah, I should have been more considerate! I'm sorry Sophia, can I offer you something else?"
"Hmph. If it's food you mean then no thank you, I'm fine. Actually, I think we should discuss what we've found. I also have some questions for you."
"Okay. That's fine."
Relief flashes through Ms. Ipruk's eyes at the fact she doesn't have to pretend to eat this garbage anymore.
"While you generously let us wander around your 'home', we did find some spirits who-"
"Really!? You found them! Are they gone now, did you 'exercise' them?" There's so much hope in his eyes.
"No."
And the hopes gone. "Oh, I see. You guys must of been close though, right?"
"Well, yes. But we still have some questions we would appreciate you answering. It'll make our job easier."
"Little one, please tell us all you know."
"I'll try. Um, what do you need to like know though?"
Sophia asks, "This might be hard but can you tell us everything you know about the accident that your parents were involved in? We couldn't find much about it."
"Is it really that important?"
"Yes, please dear. We need to understand what happened." Ms. Ipruk urges gently.
Bradley shifts uncomfortably but finally says, "I was only told that my parents were driving. I don't know where to… Something ran into them and they died."
"That's it? Do you know what ran into them?"
Bradley shrugs, "A car probably."
Ms. Ipruk looks doubtful. "Interesting. When I was looking up the incident I didn't find anything that implied it was a car accident caused by someone. Why? Because the only casualties were your parents. If someone drove into them wouldn't their death or injuries be reported as well? Of course that could have been because of corrupt journalism and I wasn't there personally..."
He asks, "Then, what do you think happened?"
"I don't know. Everything I found only stated that 'Millionaire formally from Regis' found himself and his wife in a terrible fate. They got into a car accident and are now dead. The son remains as the only inheritor to their wealth. Of course, some articles said something was wrong with the car or that something was wrong with the road. Or that it was the bad weather. I even found someone say that Mr. Johnson was a heavy drinker so he must have been driving drunk."
He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, "H-hold on-"
"Do you see the problem here dear. None of these are facts. None of them are consistent. Which one is the truth? One of them could be or the truth could be hidden? Why though?"
"I-I don't know. I really don't."
"Hm. You know of all the articles and reports I read, I couldn't find one of the most common reasons for an accident like that."
"Which is..?"
"Monsters of course!" she bangs her fist against the table.
//Ms. Ipruk perhaps you sound a little too excited.//
"Ahem- I mean, we know that monsters are plaguing our continent. Can I ask where exactly you lived?"
"*Mantuvig..."
"Ha, now I know the reports were corrupt. Mantuvig is crawling with those beasts! They have to hire specified hunters to keep them under control. Now, tell me why didn't they speculate death by a Shadow Beast?"
"Um well maybe…"
Sophia speaks instead, "Someone paid the reporters to hide the true circumstances of their death! Someone who could afford to do something like that…" she glares at him.
"What. WHAT!? ME? You're not actually suspecting that I would do something like that! Come on!!!"
"Calm down boy. Sophie hasn't accused you, yet. But you have to admit you're a bit suspicious."
"Bu-BUT! There's no reason for me to want to cover up their deaths!"
"You're right. There is no reason for you to want to do that unless you were involved somehow." Sophia says.
"Oh come on! You're accusing me based on deductions that aren't even right! Why would I ever want to hurt my parents huh?!" He starts ugly sobbing. Sophia wrinkles her nose in disgust.
"Bradley. I'm not accusing you of doing that. I'm just saying that your parents' deaths were most likely caused by a Shadow Beast. Given the statistics. And that it was most likely covered up. I'm not saying that it was you but, your parents had enemies didn't they?"
He sniffs, "Yeah I-I guess so."
"You guess? Oh please. You must know by now what your father used to create. In fact we know that you tried to hide that room where he made his experiments."
"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."
Sophia mentally sighs. "The magical barrier around the secret room under the trap door? Please don't tell me you didn't think we wouldn't find it?"
"Oh that. It was there before I moved back in. I've never gone inside."
"That's a lie. Little one, that spell was new. Only a few days old at the most and very powerful. You said you've been here for a while. So you know who made it."
'It had to be you' goes unsaid.
He gets up from his chair and starts pacing back and forth as if he's internally debating something. "Ok. Ok. Ok. I admit it. I made the barrier. I just- I just didn't want you to know the truth about what my father did… I knew that once you found out, you would be horrified and judge him harshly b-but He only did that because he wanted the best for us. He really did…"
Awkward silence.
It's Ms. Ipruk who speaks once again, "So you were close with your father. You must have loved him greatly to protect his reputation."
"I did care for him. He was my dad after all. We were close enough but, I regret not being able to be there for him more." He sounds a little bitter. At himself? "Also, I know where you're going with this but I wasn't involved with the accident."
Oh come on. It's clear that you were so why are you hesitant to admit it? Also, there's something wrong with his confession. It doesn't seem quite right. But Sophia can't put her finger on it.
"I didn't mean to imply that… Were you close with your mother too?"
Bradley freezes. He looks unsure of what to say at first. "I loved her. But we weren't super close." he sighs deeply, "She was ill most of the time… we didn't spend a lot of time together."
Sophia asks bluntly, "Did your parents truly love each other?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course they did!" He sounds really angry, maybe she went too far.
He's glaring at her intensely and now, Sophia isn't scared of him, but she's getting a little uncomfortable.
Ms. Ipruk notices as well and tries to soothe things over, "Little one, that's a very valid question to ask. Some marriages don't work out. I say this from experience."
"Hm. Not everyone shares your experiences, Cecilia. My parents were happy together."
Sophia knows that's a lie. It has to be a lie. She wants to ask an important question. She really does!
What she asks instead though is, "Say Bradley? What's your favorite song?"
Ms. Ipruk turns to her with a confused look on her face.
"Huh? What's this, your attempt at small talk? I'm still angry at you!"
Okay. It's time to put up an act! Mr. Hobbleton, take notes.
"No! I-I'm so sorry about that… It seems that I misjudged you. You are just a lost person trying to pick up the pieces. I wasn't trying to be rude at all! I-I just," cue the fake tears, "I-I do want to help you. And what better way than by being friends? So won't you answer my simple question."
Now he's the one who looks uncomfortable. His eye twitches slightly. "Uhh…"
"Oh, please! You wouldn't let a lady who just apologized to you, cry? Would you now?" More tears.
Ms. Ipruk stays silent, she already knows better than to interfere.
"Fine? I guess I like listening to uh…" he frowns but continues with, "Joy Coy? Yeah."
"Really now! Me too. What's your favorite song though?"
"Uh, The song about… Mom and Dad?"
"Perfect."
"Was there an actual reason for that question or are you just messing with me?"
Ms. Ipruk answers for her, "There's always a reason for everything, dear."
"Hm. Well I answered everything right? You two can leave now and go finish your job."
"Just one last question. I promise!"
"What now?!"
"Say Bradley? You know there's a Shadow Beast upstairs, right?"
Clearly he wasn't expecting to hear that. He freezes up completely and then explodes, "WHAT!? WHAT!!! HOW. H-how did you… Why would… It wasn't supposed to… "
"Excuse me?"
"Little one…"
His voice is shaking, "Wh-what did you do to it?!"
"Nothing. I just trapped it in a barrier… Why do you care? Wouldn't you want me to get rid of it for you hm?"
"No. No. No. Damn it…"
"Bradley, just what exactly is that Shadow Beast?"
"It's um. It's… An experiment from my father… Please leave it alone…"
"Experiment? What in the heavens?"
"Oh my! That sounds dangerous perhaps I should get rid of it after all…" A bluff.
He lets out a loud and broken scream, "NO DON'T!"
Sophia gets up from her seat as does Ms. Ipruk. They slowly walk backwards and try to get close to the doors.
He starts sobbing again, uglier than before. He completely deflates. "No… please don't leave. Please don't… hurt him."
"Him?"
//Him? She can't leave now.//
"..."
"Who's the Shadow Beast? Who is it?"
"..."
"Wait. Don't answer, I already know."
Sophia takes a deep breath and reveals, "It's you. You're the Shadow Beast."