Isabel Norton

Isabel is the eldest daughter of Azul Norton, the current Earl of Kerbeck, one of the great noble houses protecting the eastern frontier of the Ridill Kingdom.

She is 15 years old and has a younger brother, Henry Norton, who is three years her junior.

She attends Serendia Academy as a first-year in the upper division.

Outwardly she plays the role of an arrogant “villainess noble girl,” but in truth she is a loyal collaborator who adores Monica Everett.

Isabel is always accompanied by her maid and bodyguard Agatha, who stays by her side even within the academy.

Her family, the Kerbeck Earldom, is renowned for its military might and dragon-slaying capability, giving them significant influence among the nobility.

Name: Isabel Norton

Gender: Female

Age: 15

Noble Status: Eldest daughter of the Earl of Kerbeck, Azur Norton

Family: Younger brother Henry Norton (3 years younger)

Affiliation: Serendia Academy, upper division, Year 1

Bodyguard/Maid: Agatha

Series: Secrets of the Silent Witch

The Kerbeck Earldom is a powerful military noble house in eastern Ridill, one of the few capable of effectively fighting dragon disasters.

Because of this, their political voice among the aristocracy is very strong, and within the academy only higher-ranking great nobles or royalty can oppose their influence.

About three months before the main story begins, the Kerbeck territory suffers a large-scale dragon disaster.

The incident is essentially resolved by Monica Everett, the “Silent Witch,” acting alone, which deeply impresses Isabel and her entire family.

Isabel herself is nearly attacked by a wyvern during this crisis.

Monica saves her at the last moment, turning Isabel into an ardent fan of the Silent Witch and leaving the whole family profoundly grateful.

From that point on, the entire Kerbeck family becomes enthusiastic supporters of Monica.

They are “all in” when the royal side later requests their help to insert Monica into Serendia Academy under a false identity.

Three months after the dragon incident, Louis Miller secretly receives a royal order to protect the Second Prince, Felix Arc Ridill.

To carry out this mission, Louis arranges for Monica Everett to infiltrate Serendia Academy under the cover identity of Monica Norton, an adopted daughter of the Kerbeck family.

Louis approaches the Kerbeck household for cooperation, and the entire family—including Isabel—accepts immediately and enthusiastically.

As part of this plan, Isabel enrolls in the academy together with Monica as a local “support operative.”

Because Isabel is one year younger, Monica enters as a second-year, while Isabel enrolls as a first-year in the upper division.

Their created relationship is that Monica is Isabel’s adoptive aunt in terms of family tree, but publicly treated as a despised, lower-status dependent.

For the infiltration, the cover story of Monica Norton is extremely harsh.

Officially, Monica is said to be the orphaned ward of the *former* countess, who, after losing her guardian, becomes an unwanted burden to the Kerbeck family and is treated as a servant.

Under this narrative, Monica is portrayed as a neglected, low-status girl being “worked to the bone” by the legitimate daughter of the house, Isabel.

Isabel wholeheartedly throws herself into the role, performing the “villainess noble girl” archetype at full power.

She will say lines such as:

“You leaving your name recorded as a member of the Kerbeck house’s lowest ranks is nothing but a shame to me!”

After delivering such act lines, she eagerly asks Monica how “villainess-like” she sounded and proudly explains that she has practiced every day since receiving this role.

In public, Isabel bullies Monica on purpose, but carefully avoids any real harm.

For example, when she orders Monica to go shopping, she hands her a piece of paper that is completely blank, meaning no actual burdens are placed on her.

The goal is to spread the image inside the academy that “Monica is Isabel’s prey” and “do not touch anyone with the Norton name.”

This prevents other students from bullying Monica directly, since crossing Isabel and the Kerbeck house would be dangerous.

However, this also gives Isabel the reputation of being a cruel noble girl who torments her adopted sister.

Monica worries about this negative image, but Isabel herself is unconcerned and sees it as part of her duty in the mission.

Isabel’s true nature is very different from the stereotypical villainess she plays.

She is diligent, highly educated, and possesses the dignity expected of the eldest daughter of a great noble house.

She never looks down on people lightly.

Even while acting as a villainess, she avoids belittling others besides Monica, and only shows genuine hostility toward those who harm Monica.

In private spaces where no one is watching, Isabel calls her “Monica Onee-sama” in spirit, meaning “Monica, my dear elder sister,” and showers her with affection.

She is not only a fan but also a thoughtful protector, always considering Monica’s feelings and safety.

Isabel is actually the first person who fully accepts the real Monica after learning that the Silent Witch is in fact a shy, introverted, socially awkward girl.

At first Isabel projects her ideal onto Monica as someone “stronger and braver than anyone else,” but once she learns the truth she embraces Monica’s authentic personality without reservation.

She treats Monica kindly without exposing her identity or putting pressure on her.

Because of Isabel’s unwavering support and thoughtful behavior, Monica gradually opens her heart and grows genuinely close to her.

After the attempted poisoning at the tea party, Monica ends up resting in Isabel’s room for about a week.

During that time, they live together, share hobbies, and Isabel even wishes they could eat side by side in the cafeteria, despite the setting making that impossible.

Isabel’s capabilities are impressive and far beyond a typical noble schoolgirl.

She has remarkable negotiation skills, social grace, and quick thinking, all supporting Monica’s mission behind the scenes.

She manages to push her demands through with both the headmaster and Hubert Dee, effectively winning one-sided negotiations.

In the academy’s tea party etiquette class, she receives top marks for her manners and hosting skills.

Even in front of her beloved Monica, Isabel maintains clear boundaries between public duty and private feeling, showing excellent judgment.

Her acting skill is also superb: even though she hates bitter flavors, she can drink extremely bitter tea without the slightest change of expression.

She also excels at improvisation.

In emergencies she ad-libs perfectly, adjusting her performance on the spot to protect Monica’s cover and guide events in a safe direction.

Monica herself holds Isabel in high regard thanks to these talents.

She sees Isabel not just as a fan, but as a reliable and highly capable partner.

One of Isabel’s signature episodes is the tea party attempted poisoning incident.

When Monica becomes the victim of a poisoning attempt during a tea event, Isabel responds by delivering a flawless villainess performance.

She uses her status and sharp tongue to utterly disgrace Caroline Simmons, the person responsible for the incident.

Throughout this confrontation, she never drops her “villainess” mask, using the role to attack the true wrongdoer while protecting Monica.

In this scene, Caroline chokes on especially bitter tea.

Isabel then calmly drinks the same tea to the last drop without flinching, despite it being so bitter that she internally struggles.

There is no trick here; it is pure willpower and devotion to Monica’s sake.

This moment has become one of her defining scenes in the series.

Underneath the flawless noble exterior, Isabel has a surprisingly fangirl-like side.

She loves popular romance novels trending in the royal capital and enjoys them passionately.

Agatha, her maid and bodyguard, shares this hobby.

The two of them are close friends as well as mistress and servant, often bonding over their favorite books.

Isabel also enjoys reading to children at an orphanage.

The children there adore her and look up to her as a kind older sister.

When it comes to Monica, Isabel originally focuses mainly on Monica’s dramatic achievements, such as defeating dragons or saving territories.

Because of this, she is relatively unfamiliar with Monica’s true main profession as a magic formula researcher.

After being told that she is only seeing the flashy side of Monica’s accomplishments, Isabel decides she wants to understand Monica more deeply.

To that end, she resolves to take Basic Magic as an elective class, even though magic is not her specialty.

Isabel’s portrayal differs slightly between the web version and the printed novel version of “Secrets of the Silent Witch.”

In the web version, her identity as Monica’s huge fan is emphasized more strongly.

In the novel version, her role as Monica’s collaborator and operational partner is given more focus.

Additional scenes were added in print that highlight her political skill, negotiation ability, and active support for Monica’s mission, such as her dealings with Hubert.

In the web version, Isabel serves as the scribe for the 77th student council.

In the novel version, however, she declines that recommendation, likely to avoid drawing unnecessary attention or conflicting with her covert support role.

In the adaptation, Isabel is voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki, whose performance captures both Isabel’s refined grace and her excited fan side.

Her lines swing between razor-sharp villainess declarations and flustered, earnest admiration for Monica.

A representative villainess-style line is something like:

“You being recorded even at the lowest ranks of House Kerbeck is an embarrassment to me!”

Immediately afterward, she might whisper to Monica in private, thrilled and nervous, asking how her performance sounded.

She proudly reveals she has been practicing her evil laugh and delivery every single day since being entrusted with this “role.”