This is an interesting theory! So is the idea that he's faking.
Personally, I believe Gen really is ill, because CoK, unlike CoA, is narrated by someone quite close to Gen, someone who is (occasionally) allowed under Gen's guard. Sophos wouldn't be getting the view the court and mede ambassador are. We can't know if Gen is trying to mis-lead the Medes, because we haven't seen him being obvious about his illness in public --talking about it with Sophos is pretty private. Also, the way he jumped and knocked the wine cup made me think he was truly feeling weak. I think, as we've been told before, his health was broken and so he tends to be sickly.
When I finished CoK I was immediately terrified that this was foreshadowing that Gen would die of illness. But my wise sister pointed out that if Gen dies, it will probably be by falling, not because of sickness. PHEW!!! I was reassured.
Of course, he could pull a Dumbledore and fall when he knows he's got a terminal illness anyway... But I also think his death would only happen if it somehow causes the defeat of the Medes. All this to say, he may be more incapacitated by illness (its inclusion in CoK seems meaningful to me...), but I'm pretty sure he won't die by it.
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Personally, I believe Gen really is ill, because CoK, unlike CoA, is narrated by someone quite close to Gen, someone who is (occasionally) allowed under Gen's guard. Sophos wouldn't be getting the view the court and mede ambassador are. We can't know if Gen is trying to mis-lead the Medes, because we haven't seen him being obvious about his illness in public --talking about it with Sophos is pretty private. Also, the way he jumped and knocked the wine cup made me think he was truly feeling weak. I think, as we've been told before, his health was broken and so he tends to be sickly.
When I finished CoK I was immediately terrified that this was foreshadowing that Gen would die of illness. But my wise sister pointed out that if Gen dies, it will probably be by falling, not because of sickness. PHEW!!! I was reassured.
Of course, he could pull a Dumbledore and fall when he knows he's got a terminal illness anyway... But I also think his death would only happen if it somehow causes the defeat of the Medes.
All this to say, he may be more incapacitated by illness (its inclusion in CoK seems meaningful to me...), but I'm pretty sure he won't die by it.