Ritsuka does have the advantage of knowing him, or at least knowing the Heroic Spirit he had been in his past life. But even so, she'd never quailed before him or any of the other Servants she'd met, anyway.

And if he wanted to play games with dancing around the topic, well, two could play at that. She does know his story, quite well, and appreciates how important some of it was to him. Is, perhaps.

"A tyrant king without peer." Quite literally, in fact. "Until his people asked the gods for help, and they sent a weapon to oppose him... But who became his dearest friend, instead.

"After that, he eventually became a wise and just king, beloved by those same people."