I Don't Expect the Sun to Love Me Back

6: The Beauty and the Bitch

If you asked Nao and Chef Local who they believed truly ran the Kingdom: Caboose, or Nao, they'd offer a very simple answer:

"Princess Caboose, of course. Otherwise, she wouldn't be the Princess, now would she?"

But, if you ask General Andrea, one of the servants, or anyone else, they would answer a little differently:

"Princess Caboose can be more comparable to a mascot for the Kingdom of. Lord Nao Kazuki is the one you would want to talk to about anything serious, and if you actually want to get things done."

That's not to say Caboose is completely unreliable, however. She's very attentive to the voice of her people and is very willing to help them with what they need to the best of her abilities. She regularly visits the different divisions of the castle to personally check the condition and well-being of her staff, changing whatever needs to be changed so they can work more comfortably. She also reviews and answers the many letters that come to her from her citizens, rulers of other kingdoms, and attends different gatherings when it's official business.

But Nao does just a little more. He helps give orders to the kingdom's military. He gives orders to the executioner whenever a criminal is declared guilty or if Nao deems it appropriate to just kill them. If he's feeling a little fancy, Nao will sometimes (more often than not) proceed with an execution himself. He also assists with the paperwork when he notices the Princess getting overwhelmed with it. He personally takes care of Caboose's safety instead of leaving it in the hands of the guards. If he has time, he'll spare a moment to help with training not only the soldiers but with Caboose's personal training as well.

He also accompanies Caboose everywhere if he can: to outings in the city, or other kingdoms when she's being invited for business. Especially when they're invited to other kingdoms, Nao will often seek out either the King and Queen or the other Royal Advisor to ask for any information that he should know about that they're, for some reason, keeping from the Princess.

A lot of times, this is the case.

So yes. If asked, Nao and Local will lie and say: "Caboose is the ruler of this Kingdom." Local lies about it because he is the Princess's best friend, and in spite, he will never allow Nao's name to be higher than Caboose's. But Local knows that in his heart, he cannot deny the truth that it's Nao who does the most important work.

Nao lies about it because if he wanted to be a Prince or a King, he would've been one already. He's not interested in being a leader, and he would much rather keep his comfortable job as the Princess's right-hand man.

Don't be mistaken, however. There is still a reason why the staff (and the handful of civilians who've met the Princess and Royal Advisor) will lie at first and say Caboose is the true ruler. But it is the truth when they say they prefer Caboose to be the Princess/the mascot of the Kingdom.

Caboose is very kindhearted and sympathetic, especially for someone of her status. She treats her staff wonderfully, and her relationship with them is very wholesome as she never sees herself as if she's higher than them. Life is more enjoyable with her in charge, and they know if Nao was the King or Prince, their life would be a living Hell.

Nao is rude, blunt, insulting, unmerciful, and has a generally nasty personality. Even towards the Princess (even if it was never said in public, everyone is aware those two are best friends) the Royal Advisor still hurts her feelings and takes a mean tone with her. Well, he was a lot worse three years ago, going as far as regularly making the Princess cry because of how much a fucking asshole he was. He barely got punished for that too since Caboose was (and still is) too kind to do much about it. That's one of the biggest reasons why Local hates Nao so much.