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Lucius had been a soldier all his life and knew well how to command men on the battlefield. Being Emperor, as he found to his disquiet, was entirely different. He turned often to his uncle for advice, but somewhat to his surprise, he also found himself consulting his sister. It began because he wanted to lend her his company but found the silence uncomfortable. Almost at random, Lucius began speaking of the dispute that was vexing him, a quarrel between Romans and Goths where he must tread carefully and offend neither party. Lavinia listened attentively, then took up her stylus and wrote out where he might find a precedent in Roman law and custom. From then on, Lucius did not attempt to exclude her from matters of state. A practical Roman used every resource at his disposal.
The greater part of his education had been in the field, and he knew that Lavinia was more widely read. But that was not the only reason he sought her counsel. She did not hesitate to let him know when she thought him in the wrong, and the Emperor would endure harsh truths from her that he could not brook from another. She taught him patience and humility, so that he did not lose the people’s hearts through overmuch pride. Her compassion balanced the strictness of his judgments.
When the Emperor passed away of a fever – the only one of his father’s sons to die peacefully in bed -- the undisputed election fell upon his son. Long a pillar of the state, Marcus Andronicus had also rested in the tomb beside his brother for many years. Young Lucius, no longer a boy, turned to Lavinia and asked her, “You will help me, aunt, won’t you?” She nodded in solemn promise. Though it was not spoken of in the Senate-house, she remained one of the Emperor’s most valued and cherished advisors for as long as she lived. When at last she died, full of years, all of Rome mourned for her and she was buried in the tomb of the Andronici with great honor.