Is it cheating if he said he’d give the power to someone more qualified

Riku could hardly imagine himself a ruler, so he’d honestly never become fully absorbed with the role. In fact, one would barely even be able to tell Riku even was the ruler while he had the position. He would rarely ever attempt to assert his position, only ever doing so when he sees a true need to step up to the plate. Openness and friendliness with those who approach him would be common, and one would hardly even think of him as royalty. Think Chrom from Fire Emblem: Awakening, but a tad bit more formal and calm in how he deals with things. 

As for when things get heated? Count on Riku stepping up to the plate. Riku’s got no formal training or experience leading others, but he knows how to get things done. Whether done on his own or with those who work under him(From how he deals with things, moreso “with him”), Riku’s a ruler who’s not going to sit down while troubles fester and grow, especially when those troubles are directed towards innocents. If trouble stirs, he’s definitely gonna assert his power to make certain as many people as possible are on-board with helping. And if they aren’t, he’s not going to force them to. Their choice, their decision. He can’t control peoples’ hearts by force. That’s not how he rules, and that’s not how he would rule.