"Hmm... I'd say, try not to fall into the Barrayaran trap of considering the Emperor a title with a person attached, instead of the other way around. I think sometimes he thinks that way himself, but it isn't true. Emperor of Barrayar is a job he has, not something he dangles from on a string, and not the whole sum of his identity. I'm sorry, I'm not sure I'm explaining myself very well. But - Emperor Gregor is an office. Gregor is a smart young man with a strong sense of duty and a shortage of true friends. I can't say how well he'll take to you when I hardly know you myself, but it can't hurt to keep in mind that the possibility space is wider than the distance between allowing you to stay on the planet and... not."