It was a compliment, despite my complicated relationship with His Majesty.

[Ardyn sighed, shaking his head.]

That's hardly a fair comparison. He wasn't given nearly the same level of responsibility as me; the world was in a far different shape for Ardyn Lucis Caelum II than it was for Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV. The person you first met was a singleminded savior, and he's...

...He was allowed to be human before he was the Chosen.