One Roman abandoned a sultanate to be emperor (4)

I believe the answer is:

nero

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'be emperor' is the definition.
(Roman emperor)

'one roman abandoned a sultanate' is the wordplay.
'NERO' is hidden within the letters.
But, I'm unsure how the hidden word is indicated.

'to' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for nero that I've seen before include "He's reputed to have fiddled while Rome burned" , "Cruel Roman emperor" , "Tyrannical Roman emperor" , "Emperor said to have fiddled as Rome burned" , "Roman Emperor, 54-68 AD" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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