“We found this letter, and a large sum of money, on a drunkard’s body. Castle Investigators suggest that it was stolen by said drunkard in an alcohol-fueled stupor, but this does not explain why he was murdered.”
Dear mother,
I failed to save my employer, the sheriff. He fell ill to poison - night shade, they say. I feared I wouldn’t be able to find a new job; after showing my ineptiude at protecting the physician, and then again the sheriff in the same week, I thought for sure no one would pay me again - and then I wouldn’t be able to support you or my brothers… I must admit, I felt as though I couldn’t face you, so I had decided to take my own life… I’d been at the top of the castle, prepared to end it, when a man in black inetrvened…
In any case, he talked me down off the ledge. He told me that all was not lost; in fact, he offered me a job to protect him and his family. I asked how many he had, and he said just one, a son. He said that he saw what was wrong in me - I was burdened with the task of helping my family. He said that accepting this job would lift that burden, but place a new one on me - that of saving the kingdom.
In any case, I have found work again. It is a bit more demanding defending multiple people, but it pays much better - I will be able to send you money for food in just a few days!
credit to @B_Psycho2 for the intro and other edits