Can I use the OneDrive feature "Create album from folder" in my Files and then delete the original folder in Files?

I would like to clarify the expected behavior of the "Create album from folder" feature in OneDrive Personal, as my experience does not match the documentation I have found.

This is exactly what I did:

1. I had my photos organized in folders under Files in my personal OneDrive account.
2. For several folders, I selected "Create album from folder." in the OneDrive app for iOS.
3. After the album was created and appeared under Photos > Albums, I deleted the original folder from the Files section using the OneDrive application.
4. Some of these folders were deleted approximately two months ago.

What I observe is the following:

• The original folders no longer exist under Files.
• Searching for the photos in Files does not return any results.
• However, all of the photos are still available under Photos > Albums.
• The photos open normally, can be viewed in full resolution, and continue to be accessible after two months.
• When I view the information for a photo, its location is shown as Albums > [Album Name], rather than a folder in Files.

My understanding from Microsoft's documentation is that albums are generally collections of existing photos and do not store independent copies of the files. Based on that, I would have expected the photos to disappear from the album once the original folder was deleted.

Could you please clarify:

1. Is this the expected behavior of Create album from folder in OneDrive Personal?
2. Does this feature actually move or convert the photos into album-managed storage, or are the original files still stored somewhere in OneDrive even though they no longer appear under Files? If they are stored in OneDrive, where are they?
3. Is it safe to continue deleting the original folders after creating albums, or is there a risk that the photos may eventually disappear from the albums?

Thank you!