[Ardyn slouched a little further, contemplating his sudden desire to disappear into the floor.]

You and the others...your loyalty is to the crown. That's how it should be, and you're right for it. Despite...despite everything, he still built an enduring kingdom that by all accounts prospered for two thousand years. He's your Founder King, and I'm naught but an unliving, undying monster.

I'm not foolish enough that I would doubt which of us would seem better company.