Kazuha took a deep breath before opening the door. Inside, Ayumi's room looked actually the same as it always had, except the little girl was not sitting in her bed, her blue eyes lighting up when she saw who had come to see her. "Kazuha-neechan!"
Kazuha choked back as sob before moving to the small chest that the child had kept her clothes in. She opened it and took out several muslin and brown colored dresses. Then she pulled out two pairs of tall white socks and three pairs of tiny white undergarments. Lastly, she pulled out a pair of scuffed up, black shoes and then the trunk was empty. She set the pile of clothes to the side and moved to strip the bed. She put the pile of sheets and quilts on top of the clothes and was about to carry them downstairs to Miwako, who worked the servant's laundry, when she saw a piece of paper sticking out from underneath the mattress. She pulled it out and saw her name scrawled on the front in what appeared to be black candle wax.
She opened it and saw it was dated two days before she had died.
'Kazuha-neechan, if you are reading this then I did die. I'm sorry, because it probably made you sad. It probably made Ai-chan and Genta-kun and Mitsuiko-kun sad too, didn't it? I'm kind of glad I did die though, even though I feel bad for making everyone cry. But that's not why I had to write this. I hope you can read it, I can barely see what I'm writing. But I have to let you know. Heiji-niichan has been pulling a horrible prank on you! He forced Sonoko-neechan to team up with him to make you fall in love with him! He didn't want even one person in the castle not to like him. He's been lying to you this whole time and he made sure that no one was allowed to tell you. But if I'm dead I don't have to do what he says anymore. He isn't a bad person, but he's a grown up, and most grown ups are stupid. Don't be too mad, Kazuha-neechan, but don't let him keep tricking you! I'm sorry I have to tell you this but he doesn't really love you.'
With a choked cry, Kazuha dropped the letter and ran out of the room.