The Princess did not hesitate to offer help upon receiving the distress call from the Galra base. Voltron would take care of it, while he continued to rule and keep things in check right where he was. Lotor appreciated the thought, but kindly insisted that he needed her there with him. Of course, Allura came up with a good counterargument, explaining that his plans could wait for a just a little while longer and that they had to protect his subjects. He had no choice but to agree and reluctantly resolved to watch her leave with the rest of the paladins. The truth was, while Allura was concerned for his subjects, he was concerned for her and therefore did not want her to leave. He had no doubt that she could handle herself in battle, but that didn't change the way he felt.

Dayak didn't seem all too happy to be letting the yellow paladin go, either. Lotor smiled as Hunk politely excused himself before following the rest of his crew out of the room to save the planet from destruction.

"He's not coming back, is he?" asked Dayak and Lotor had to chuckle at her blatant disappointment.

"I wouldn't count on it. Though you have to admire his curiosity and willingness to learn more about the ways of our culture." Dayak nodded in silent agreement.

"At least I managed to teach him a thing or two before it was all over." She paused for a moment, then added, "What do you think about the Princess?" At the mention of Allura, Lotor suddenly became more alert than before, almost alarmed even.

"What about the Princess?" he asked as indifferently as he could, as if trying to hide the fact that he might have feelings for her.

"How do you think she would hold up in training with me?"

Lotor considered that thought for a moment and imagined Allura training with his former governess, becoming one of the Galra. Not that he wanted her to be Galra. No, it was more a matter of him wanting to be Altean, like her. He was a half breed, but it was something he had come to accept and even love about himself in later years. He wished to share the Galran side of his heritage and culture with Allura, just like he wanted to share everything else with her. He didn't realize he had been smiling until Dayak pointed it out.

"What are you smiling about? Lotor!" She struck him with her whip and he snapped out of his daze. He could feel himself blush just like before. Thankfully, the paladins were not around to see it this time.

"Right," he said. "Allura – I mean, the Princess! – would surely make an excellent student of yours. She's very…" Beautiful. Wonderful. Intelligent. Remarkable. Perfect in every way. "…persevering."

Dayak narrowed her eyes and the smirk on her face told him he had just revealed himself. "Hmm. I bet she is. Something tells me she is a great warrior too and a natural born leader. Everything that makes a good empress of the Galra Empire." Lotor blushed even harder, all the way up to the tips of his ears.

"Wait… You don't…? Dayak, you're not suggesting…?" It was embarrassing listening to himself fumble with his words like that. So unbefitting for an emperor.

"I'm not suggesting anything," she said, but her smile told him otherwise. "I'm just saying, now that you're Emperor, it might be time to think about your legacy."

"My legacy?" He didn't like the sound of that. Or how his voice went up a notch in pitch.

"Yes. What you will leave behind when you're gone. Your lineage. Your children."

His children. The woman really needed to stop talking.

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Dayak. As of now, however, there are more urgent matters at hand than my legacy. I do not wish for our children to grow up in a time of war."

"Our children?" Damn it. He wanted to slam his head against the control panel for that slip. How could he be so stupid?

"I mean, not our children! Not you and me…" He stopped himself right there. This conversation was getting out of hand. "I meant…"

"You and the Princess?"

Lotor looked up into her face and admitted defeat. She had already called him out long ago and he was a fool to try and deny it. "Yes," he sighed and nodded. "Me and the Princess. Are you quite satisfied?" Dayak only smiled, shaking her head at him.

"Oh, Lotor. I have been by your side since your infancy. I've watched you grow and I could not tell you how proud I am of the man you have become. You cannot blame me for wanting to see you happily settled with an empress at your side. It would make me swell with happiness and even more pride. And I can see that you have taken quite a shine to the Princess. While it might be deemed unfit for any other but a Galra to take the throne, I can see how it would make sense from your perspective, considering your Altean heritage. Should you choose her as your bride, I will give my blessing to you both."

Lotor relaxed and smiled back. He was grateful for her unyielding support. "Thank you, Dayak. I appreciate it. Regarding the Princess, I can only hope that my feelings are nothing but mutual." Lotor clutched his arm and nearly yelled out in pain as Dayak struck him with her whip again. "What was that for?!"

"A reminder that you should never lose confidence! A lost confidence is a lost cause! Without it, you can never hope to win the Princess's favour." Lotor nodded, happy that the old familiar Dayak was back.

"All right. That's understood. I shall remain confident in my romantic pursuit."

"Good. Vrepit sa!" Dayak saluted and turned on her heel to leave the room. Lotor smiled softly behind her back and thought of Allura.

"Vrepit sa."

Author's note: Initially, I thought about putting this fic within another context, but then season 8 happened and I still wanted to keep this one fic within canon, so here you go. I am a proud Lotura shipper and I stan both Lotor and Allura, so expect more fics of them from me in the future. I usually write canon, because that's where I feel most comfortable, but given the turn of events in S8, I will probably have to venture into the world of AU fics. Vrepit sa!