Ans.
The bearded man is the speaker here.
He said this to the Tsar when he woke up from sleep after the night's rest with the Tsar in the hermit's Cottage.
The bearded man was the enemy of the Tsar. He swore to revenge on the Tsar because he executed his brother and seized his property. He knew that the Tsar had gone alone to meet the hermit. So, he resolved to kill the Tsar on his way back. When the Tsar did not return, he came out of his ambush. But he came upon the bodyguard of the Tsar who wounded him seriously. The man somehow escaped from the bodyguard and reached to the Tsar. The Tsar bandaged his wounds and saved his life. That is why the man realised his fault and begged the Tsar to forgive him.