How did the Wright Family End up in the Beast's Castle?

"In exchange for your family's safety from the cold, I ask for only one thing," the Beast said. Phoenix started into the Beast's human-like eyes. Searching for a spark of kindness in the desolate gray landscape, "Each day you return from the village you will report to me what you have seen, and if you have taken upon any cases, you must tell me about them, in great detail."

Phoenix is the only lawyer in this small provincial town that isn't on the King's payroll. Allowing him to defend the innocent and help those who can not afford a royal lawyer to defend them. But this doesn't always mean he is paid well, and when the King increases taxes once again, Phoenix and his patchwork family are forced from their home. Disappointed, they begin their trek back to Kurain village. But when a wrong turn leads them to a magical castle the monstrous master inside offers them shelter in exchange for information. This seems too good to be true, what mysteries is this Beast hiding? And why does he look like he is in pain?